Untitled Sermon (3)

An Overview of the Gospel According to Matthew: MISSIONARY OR MUSEUM?

God’s Heart for the Nations

Introduction: We are done with Ruth, and with God’s help, I’d like to start the new year with an in-depth exposition of a New Testament book – I am currently studying and wrestling with a decision between the book of Acts, and the letter to the Hebrews. But for now, this being the Christmas season, I know we’ll have a lot of interaction with 2 Gospels – Matthew and Luke – and so a fly-over, overview of Matthew would really help orient us so we can integrate the rest of what we hear.

 It is common to say that we have “4 Gospels” in our New Testament – but a better way to say it is that we have a single Gospel (a single ‘good news’) and there are 4 perspectives on this Gospel. Each Gospel account writer – Matthew, Mark, Luke, John, is looking at the same events in Christ’s life, the same, long, Old Testament runway of prophecy, and they are inspired by the same Holy Spirit. But, their goals and themes and unique perspectives do differ.

Transition: So what is Matthew’s angle? What is he after? Well, Matthew’s audience is largely Jewish – which means they are very sensitive to the Old Testament record. He actually structures his Gospel in a way that mirrors the whole Old Testament, in order to present Jesus as the fulfillment of Israel’s story and Israel’s kingdom. The King is on the move.

Let’s talk about ORIGINS. (There are some passages of Scripture that you and I know recite instinctively)…

1) Beginning with γένεσις – meaning origin, birth, nature; the book of Genesis also means start, beginnings, origin.

a. Matt. 1:1 “The book of the genealogy of Jesus Christ, the son of David, the son of Abraham.”

b. Gen. 1:1 “In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth.”

2) “Generations” language

a. αὕτη ἡ βίβλος γενέσεως ἀνθρώπων ᾗ ἡμέρᾳ ἐποίησεν ὁ θεὸς τὸν Αδαμ κατ᾽ εἰκόνα θεοῦ ἐποίησεν αὐτόν. (Gen. 5:1)

b. Πᾶσαι οὖν αἱ γενεαὶ ἀπὸ Ἀβραὰμ ἕως Δαυὶδ γενεαὶ δεκατέσσαρες, καὶ ἀπὸ Δαυὶδ ἕως

Let’s talk about ENDINGS.

a. Matthew 28: “And Jesus came and said to them, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. 19 Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in[b] the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit… behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.”

b. 2 Chron. 36: “Thus says Cyrus king of Persia, ‘The Lord, the God of heaven, has given meall the kingdoms of the earth,and he has charged me to build him a house at Jerusalem, which is in Judah. Whoever is among you of all his people, may the Lord his God be with him. Let him go up.’”

c. Matthew 28: “And Jesus came and said to them, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. 19 Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in[b] the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit… behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.”

d. 2 Chron. 36: “Thus says Cyrus king of Persia, ‘The Lord, the God of heaven, has given me all the kingdoms of the earth, and he has charged me to build him a house at Jerusalem, which is in Judah. Whoever is among you of all his people, may the Lord his God be with him. Let him go up.’”

One of Matthew’s primary emphases is to challenge his Jewish audience with Christ’s heart towards those who are outside of God’s OT chosen people. And those who follow Christ are called upon to love and reach the Nations. The

Interrogative: How well do you share Matthew’s burden for the Nations beyond Israel? Or, put more directly, how well do we in the 21st Century Plymouth, MN, love those who are nothing like us? If we are the NT church, and our NT opens this way, we have no choice but to, by God’s grace and lots of prayer, make this mission our very own!

Speaker’s Proposition: In order to follow Christ completely, we must recognize Matthew’s purpose and embrace his Gospel message for all people – especially those who are not like ourselves. Our Gospel mission is not primarily a “come-and-see” mission… it is a “go-and-tell” mission. That’s the game plan. That is the game plan for all New Testament mission and theology. Are you down for it?  Let’s see it in his Gospel first, before we commit to anything.

Text: Perhaps the most recognizable place that one sees an international focus within Matthew is 28:18-20. THowever, such a large target audience isn’t simply ‘tacked on’ to the end of his Gospel. The whole momentum of Matthew’s  is moving towards these “Nations.” And Matthew incorporates this theme in a manner which may have shocked early Jewish readers. Let’s open first then to 1:5-6 and hear our first point.

I. Matthew explicitly forecasts his focus upon the Gentile people in chapters 1 & 2.

· Read 1:5-6. Did you notice the names which “stick out?” At the first, notice please that two women are included (these are two out of 5 total women)? Craig Bloomberg writes in his famous commentary, that Matthew’s inclusion of women was “unnecessary and unusual in Jewish genealogies.” (55)

· Both Rahab and Ruth were Gentiles brought to faith in Yahweh outside of the boundaries of the Jewish nation.

· The Holy Spirits is reminding readers, right off the bat, that God has always had a heart for the Nations.

· God’s message of forgiveness has never been closed off to Gentile people due to ethnicity.

· Rather, Israel was meant to be a “light to the Gentiles,” and function missionally as a “kingdom and priest to God’ (Ex. 19:6).       

· Gen. 12:1-3; Isaiah 66:18-24 demonstrate that God’s OT working included a gracious plan for all, through the provision of salvation; Deut. 1:6, 24:17 – “the stranger” has provisions for him within Israel. And he was allowed entrance into the Feast of Booths.

· Is. 42 “I am the Lord; I have called you[b] in righteousness; I will take you by the hand and keep you; I will give you as a covenant for the people, a light for the nations, 7 to open the eyes that are blind, to bring out the prisoners from the dungeon, from the prison those who sit in darkness. 8 I am the Lord; that is my name;

· Both women believed in the testimony of Yahweh, and were brought into the Jewish faith by proselytization.

· Rahab was a harlot living in Jericho who heard and believed the witness of Yahweh’s power. She receives blessing and commendation in Hebrews 11:31.

· Ruth was a Moabitess who, though she married a Hebrews man, he died and she was left outside of Canaan due to a famine (Ruth 1). She chose to worship Yahweh through her mother-in-law’s example (Naomi), and was redeemed by Boaz in order to preserve Naomi’s own lineage – for she was also a widowed woman with no male heir.

· Both Rahab and Ruth contribute to the protected lineage of God’s chosen servant Jesus. Even though human assessment might judge them both very differently than God.

· Their ethnic background did not determine their faithfulness or lack thereof. Their salvation uniquely shows that the Lord’s redemptive purposes rise beyond ethnic boundaries. And he uses and celebrates their faithfulness.

· 2:1-2 Wise men “from the East” are the first to worship the Messiah.

· These are Gentile individuals who respond to God’s working

· Much is unknown about the nature of the “star,” and that is not our purpose today. The key is understand that these Gentile officials believed and acted in faith; and they offered their worship directly to the young Messiah Jesus.

· It is worship of Christ that ultimately determines covenant relationship to God. Not exterior, superficial, or historical factors.

· In a world where Jesus came unto his own, and they received him not (John 1:11-14), the Gentile officials are presented as recognizing the glory of the Christ child.

A lesson on God’s heart for ALL NATIONS by following the BREAD

· 14:13-21 – Feeding of the 5,000 with 12 baskets left over (vs.20) [Enough for the 12 tribes of Israel with bread to spare]

Parable of the Laborers in the Vineyard (20:1-16)

           Some laborers worked for only a fraction of the day, and were resented by those who worked the entire day. Equal pay for everyone. This rebukes the religious leaders for their unwillingness to accept other nations into fellowship with God due to the light coming from Israel.

II. Matt. Read 12:38-50. Lights are not meant to exist merely for their own sake. Lights clarify and show the way for others.

· Jonah’s witness is referenced in the story of the Assyrians and their scandalous Repentance. In other words, Jesus Christ is shockingly saying that God doesn’t need the fidelity of the Jewish people in order to accomplish his worldwide purposes. He is the Lord of Lords and King of Kings.

· And his purpose (Matt. 12:49) – was actually to unite his followers into the FAMILY OF GOD.

· Remember, “God is not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance.”

· Therefore, when Christ expands the understanding of God’s purposes beyond Jewish heritage, he may have shocked (‘scandalized’ may be too strong of a term) his immediate Jewish audience.

DBTS Journal states the following: “Although Israel was not sent out to the nations in the sense of a missionary mandate, she had a “missional role” in the midst of the nations, which concerned her identity and role as the mediator of God’s intention to bless the nations.”

· We find a parallel concept in Matt. 21:33-45. (Read text).

· This parable indicts Israel’s covenant unfaithfulness… and more specifically, it shows that the ultimate sign of disloyalty to God – was the rejection of Jesus the Messiah… “the cornerstone.”

· The logic is not simply that salvation has gone through the Jews out into the world; Instead, the logic is that: the Jews have actually rejected the very salvation which God orchestrated. And the message will therefore go beyond the Jews.

· Clearly at the end of the periscope, the Jewish leaders understand such a brutal verdict from Christ; they respond with fury.

· Illustration: By way of illustration, one can see how the Gospel extension to Gentiles created deep problems for the early apostles and church leadership. 1) Paul, in Acts 14, was beaten with rods partially because of Jewish sensibilities rejecting his offer of Gentile salvation. 2) Peter was prepared to dispense with historical, semitic customs in Acts 10. The sheet came down revealing God’s dispensing with Mosaic eating codes. This was to prepare Peter to go into the house (a thing he wasn’t permitted to do!) of a Roman Centurion and evangelize.

III. The Gospel of Matthew culminates with the call for the Gospel to echo internationally. Matt. 28:18-20. As we have stated earlier, this pattern of extending the message to the “ends of the earth” is not a random concept from Matthew. He has built on the theological momentum all the way through.

· While evangelism in the Old Testament age, encased in the law and Jewish ritual, certainly existed… the primary emphasis to the nations was “Come.”

· Come to the light that is through the worship of Yahweh (Ex. 19; Is. 42)

· The fundamental emphasis changes through Christ’s authority from “Come”… to, now, “Go.”

· Such authority is certainly Christ’s over all the earth.

· “All nations” is the rendering of panta ta ethne. “Ethne” can be broadly understood as “peoples.”

· Christ’s pattern however, doesn’t exclude the Jewish populous. Look at the concentric circles in Acts 1:8...

· First is “Jerusalem.” Then, expanding outward, is “Judea/ Samaria.” And at the last, the gospel is designed for the “ends of the earth.”

· However, this is not a complete rejection of Jewish people.

· Rather, it is an extension of redemption to all… and the starting point is Jerusalem.

· This divine pattern does require some to go, and it requires some to send. But the overall pattern must be embraced by all of Jesus’ followers.

· Dave Doran Sr. – “Missions isn’t simply a program of the church. Missions is the goal of the church.”

· The emphasis of “Going” is natural as Christ intended.

· Listen to the DTBS journal again, there was a “Glaring absence of OT texts compelling Israel to go out and actively witness to the nations somewhat problematizes this clear universal concern.”

· That program drastically shifts.

· Revelation 13:7 forecasts a beautiful picture of international redemption around the throne of God –

· “Every tribe and tongue and nation…”

· This glorious picture was prophesied in Daniel 5! God’s eternal purposes have not changed.

IV. Application points:

· Most of Matthew’s emphasis speaks for itself; and I believe it should bring re-evaluate our role in the mission of Jesus Christ. Some send, others go, but all are on mission.

· Here are some implications for our church today:

· Pray for “open doors” of opportunity to share the Gospel cross-culturally, where God has placed you.

· Search for guests and visitors – who are “not like you” – in the church in order to contribute to that future worship in splendor

· Flock to the stranger/ outsiders, not resist, in reflection of Christ’s compassion.

Conclusion: So, How well do we love those that are not like us? Matthew presents a unique portrait of Messiah Jesus. On the one hand, it is the document which bridges the Old Testament to the New Testament. And Christ focuses much of his ministry to the “lost sheep of Israel.” There are actually over 100 references to the Old Testament. And yet the vision that Matthew presents, challenges biases and preconceptions; in short, it challenges our pride. We must begin where Matthew began… by seeking and loving as Jesus Christ did. Do you share the Lord’s heart for those ‘on the outside’ of his gospel, love and grace? Are you a missionary… or are you a museum?

Discussion Questions:

- Which of the ‘international’ examples in the book of Matthew stood out most to you? How would that have directly challenged a Jewish audience? How does it challenge you?

- By God’s grace, how are we effective in loving those who are not like us? In what ways do we need to do better at this? (Idea: Begin with those right in front of you!)

- Imagine for a moment that your life in Minnesota was the same – but you were on a missionary adventure. What would be your first 3 goals? (Idea: think Friendships, Finances, Investment of Time and Resources. Think small at first, but dream big!)