Sermon Tone Analysis

Psalm of the Day: Matthew 28:1-7

He is Risen!

Blessed and joyous Resurrection Sunday to you all.

Instead of starting today with a Psalm like we usually Do, WE are going to read from the Book of Matthew, the first Easter Sunday!

What Joyous hope we have!

As the angel proclaimed at the tomb of Jesus: He is not here, for he has risen, as he said!” this then becomes our hope.

Jesus has defeated all enemies, sin and death.

He is risen, he now lives forever to interceded on our behalf.

He is our RISEN Lord and we gather today to serve him, to love him, to worship him.

Lets begin today with a time of prayer and reflection as we celebrate our risen Lord!

Scripture Reading: Psalm 145:10-13

Sermon

Good Morning Church!

I was Glad when they said to me let us go and worship in the House of the Lord!

A family story that will live in infamy once happened when my little sister was asked what my did did for work.

Her response, based on overhearing conversations over her (at that point) relatively few years on this earth was that My dad, and I quote: “Read e-mails, ate cake, and fired people”.

For my six year old sister (or however old she was at that time), that he was the chief of the environmental flight at Holloman air force base was too complicated and really had no meaning.

Instead it made the most sense to describe what he did by describing what visible things he did and talked about over the dinner table.

But now I turn the question to you, and lets spiritualize it.

If some six year old in your life was asked what you do, as a christian, what would they answer?

Would they say?

It might be scary and bad.

they might say something like: They judge people, complain all the time and are grumpy.

Maybe they list some spiritual disciplines.

They read the bible, make sure we say grace every meal and go to church.

Maybe this is a highly advanced theological six year old and they say something like: they live according to the grace of God, work out their sanctification with fear and trembling, and they worship God for he alone is worthy of praise.

But if the question is: what do you “DO” how many six year olds would describe us as people who preach the gospel at every opportunity?

This is what they SHOULD say of us.

We are called to preach the gospel in season and out of season, we are to “go and make disciples of all nation” we are to “be ready to give an answer for the hope that is in you”.

And yet I fear that for the majority of us, proclaiming the hope of the Gospel might be the last thing that we “do”.

Thankfully there is grace for us when we fall short, and also thankfully there is grace for us that changes us and pushes us to be more like Chrsit.

While this is not a “traditional” Easter Service, I have two things to say to that. 1) every day should be a day that we set aside to glory in the Resurrection, not just one particular Sunday.

so if this service looks a lot like the normal ones that is not a condemnation on this service but a commendation of what we usually do! but 2, and more to the point, Our passage for today Is Matthew Chapter 9 verse 35 through Matthew Chapter 10 verse 4.

And my prayer is that this passage is used by God to change us mold us and also push us to SHARE the blessed hope of the Resurrection

These are the words of the Lord for us today.

Lets PRAY!

Dear God in heaven, High and lifted up, you are great and greatly to be praised.

May we honor your name as holy today.

We come before you today in humble gratitude.

Especially today we are grateful for the precious gift of your son. the one who you sent to live a perfect life, who taught us, who loved us then who died for us and for our sins.

we praise you for we know that on the third day he arose in victory and we now live in that same Resurrection power and victory.

Thank you for the work of the Spirit, empowering us, quickening our dead hearts.

You have been so good to us.

We ask today that you speak to us according to your word.

I pray that My Words would be your words.

Speak through your servant this morning.

I Pray that you would give us ears to hear.

help us to be changed by your word, for only you can bring life.

We thank you that you do.

In Jesus name we pray.

AMEN

Many of us have herd this passage before.

Usually it is at a the sending of some missionary.

The Harvest is plentiful and the workers, like this missionary are precious and few, so go with God! Or maybe we hear it as a slap upside the head.

the harvest is plentiful, and you, O christian, what in the world are you doing?!? why are you not working.

And so we layer on the guilt and shame, you better get to work!

I would argue, and what I hope we see today, is that the truth of this passage is actually in both of those, and it is a little deeper.

Yes, the missionary that go out are precious and few, and they need the empowering work of God and the prayers and support of the church.

and a correct understanding of this passage can give us insight into missions work in general.

And yes it is the case that the fact that the workers are few is a condemnation on all of us who should be about the fathers business.

and you, O Christian should be working the field.

But a full grasp of this passage can help with that by gently teaching us.

But lets start with context, for it is very important here.

In some ways, this is the “start of chapter 3” of the book of Matthew.

If we remember back to the start of Matthew, we opened with the genealogy and the early life of Jesus.

that's really chapter one.

this transitioned to “chapter 2” starting with the Sermon on the Mount and Jesus authority to establish a kingdom then the miracle narratives that proved that authority.

he even, we learned, has the authority to forgive sins!

And now we transition to chapter 3 - the missions chapter.

Next week we will be starting the mission discourse of Jesus.

but today we are introduced to the thought of mission.

It starts with a short and beautiful description of the work of Jesus.

Summed up in three words: teaching, preaching, and healing.

That is what Jesus came to do.

Not one or tow, but all these things.

Verse 35: Jesus went throughout all the cities and villages.

1) teaching in their synagogues.

Jesus was a teacher.

He truly was a rabbi, a teacher, one who knew the Law and words f God and one who saw that the people around him knew these things as well.

He would, we know from other scriptures, open the scroll and teach.

he would show the people that the messiah that you have bee looking for and waiting for, he is here.

While some saw the truth of this teaching (see the blind men last week) some would not see and hear and believe this teaching (see the pharisees last week).

so he didn;t just reach. he also preached.

Again, Jesus went throughout all the cities and villages teaching in their synagogues and 2) proclaiming the gospel of the Kingdom.

Jesus preached the kingdom.

He showed the good news and he would tell everyone about it.

This is LIKE teaching, but different.

teaching is a desire to help and show understanding.

preaching is telling it and allowing the words of God to resonate and work.

and Jesus preached.

and finally he healed.

One last time verse 35: And Jesus went throughout all the cities and villages, teaching in their synagogues and proclaiming the gospel of the kingdom and healing every disease and every affliction.

He healed every disease and affliction.

WE just saw this over the last 9 or so sermons in Matthew.

Paralysis, leprosy, bleeding issues, fever, blindness, muteness — he can heal them all.

Even we saw, he can “heal” death!

And this is the start of a richer understanding of this passage.

WE are, I fully and wholeheartedly believe, called to fulfill this same threefold mission.

This is NOT just a passage about missionaries, it is for all of us, and we should be teaching people the truth of who jesus was, what he requires of them, what he has called them too, namely repentance.

We are to preach the gospel of the kingdom, that Jesu has come, that in him is life and life everlasting.