Matthew: Discover the Kingdom
Matthew: Discover the KingdomWeek 1 - An Unlikely KingBig Idea: The circumstances surrounding the birth of Jesus Christ do not seem to be consistent with royalty. We find in the beginning chapters of Matthew, a narrative that does not describe the King of the Universe. Perhaps the story of Jesus that is recorded is that of a different kind of King. Jesus does not come into the world in some far off majestic castle or by overwhelming fanfare. Instead, he was born into the muck and mire of the world he came to save. From His humble beginnings to now, this is how we encounter our King and discover His Kingdom THINK: The story of Jesus’ humble beginning makes him uniquely suited to rescue broken people. The God of the universe pulled on skin and became a human being to hurt like we hurt and suffer like we suffer all for the transformation of the world FEEL: God has gone to incredible lengths to invite us into his wonderful kingdom because of his powerful love. Jesus gave up the splendors of heaven to come to the earth and redeem all of creation DO: Accept the invitation into God’s kingdom by recognizing and confessing Jesus as your King and join Him in bringing his kingdom to earth Prayer: God, you have been so generous to us by sending your son in the form of a humble and vulnerable baby. Thank you God for coming to us in a way that we can understand and relate to. Help us to allow Jesus to sit on the throne of our hearts and rule the direction of our lives. We adore you as King, Jesus, and we give you our lives.Main Scriptural Text: Matthew 1:18-2:12 Supplemental Scriptural Text: Philippians 2:1-11, John 18:37, 1 Timothy 6:14-15, 1 Timothy 1:15, Luke 19:10, John 10:10 IntroductionOpener: Consider beginning the message by highlighting some of culture’s unlikely heroes. There are pop culture icons like Chesley Sullenbeger (airplane pilot), Zanjeer the Labrador (rescue dog) and Rosa Parks (activist). Consider animated heroes like Carl Fredrickson in UP, Remy in Ratatouille and Marlin in Finding Nemo. Lastly, think about a personal experience when you’ve known someone to be a hero and least expected it. The common thread for each of these examples is that their heroism came as a surprise. Not because there was lack of potential, but because the potential was not recognized until their heroic acts unfolded.Today, we begin a 4-week series called Matthew: Discover the Kingdom. Over the next few weeks we’ll be looking at the kingdom that God established through His son and the implications of the kingdom for all man-kind. Let’s begin the journey in the same place Jesus did; as a baby born in a manger.Main TeachingSome of the most amazing heroes come from unlikely places “This is how the birth of Jesus Christ came about: His mother Mary was pledged to be married to Joseph, but before they came together, she was found to be with child through the Holy Spirit. Because Joseph her husband was a righteous man and did not want to expose her to public disgrace, he had in his mind to divorce her quietly. But after he had considered this, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream and said, ‘Joseph son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary home as your wife, because what is conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit. She will give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus, because he will save his people from their sins.” - Matthew 1:18-21 NIV Admittedly, this is not exactly the way you’d imagine the saviour of all mankind beginning His story. His mother, Mary, was found to be pregnant through the Holy Spirit and her husband Joseph was going to divorce her quietly but an angel intervened and revealed to him that Jesus would be the Messiah they’d been waiting for. This, within itself, would be shocking and contrary to how you might think King Jesus would come. This takes place as a fulfilment of prophecy as well as proof that the baby to be born is of God and not of man. The book of Matthew was written specifically to Jewish people as a proof that Jesus was indeed the Messiah King. Most would say that the hero of the universe would have taken on the form of anything else besides a baby. But we know that God has been raising people up from unlikely places since the very beginning. In Deuteronomy 7:6-7 we learn that God chose Israel. Not because they were an abundant nation, but because they were an insignificant one; “The LORD your God has chosen you to be a people for his treasured possession, out of all the peoples who are on the face of the earth. It was not because you were more in number than any other people that the LORD set his love on you and chose you, for you were the fewest of all peoples” ESVOut of this group of insignificant people God chose the youngest son of Jesse, a shepherd boy, to be the King of all Israel. His name was David, and he also happens to be the great-great-great grandfather of Joseph, the man who would eventually become the earthly father of the King of kings and Lord of lords, Jesus. (Pastor - As you know the genealogy of Jesus found in Matthew 1:1-17 is an historical roll call of all the people God used in the lineage of Christ. There are numerous examples of insignificant, vulnerable, and surprising members found in the line of Christ. If you think it would be appropriate to name more unlikely heroes here, the genealogy could be a good place to find them. OR, share a personal story of unlikely heroism from your own experience.) Heroism can take on many forms and can arise from the most obscure places. How many missed the birth of the Messiah King simply because they couldn’t believe he’d arrive in the way he did. “Born in a manger! No way!” “Born to a teenage mother by the power of the Holy Spirit!? That’s impossible.” Thankfully, God is well versed in the impossible and thankfully Jesus humbled himself and became human. He left His heavenly throne and joined us here. A King living alongside his people. The greatest hope we have is God with us Many hundreds of years before Jesus was born, Isaiah prophesied, “Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign. Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel.” (Isaiah 7:14)As many of you remember from any number of Christmas services or songs the word Immanuel means, God with us. In Matthew 1:22-23 we are reminded of the prophecy as the angel Gabriel speaks to Joseph in a dream; “All this took place to fulfill what the Lord had said through the prophet: “The virgin will conceive and give birth to a son, and they will call him Immanuel” (which means, God with us)” The truth is we are in need of a hero. The mess we are in from birth is not something we can overcome in and of ourselves. Sin is powerful and it has its hold on every person whether they are aware of it or not. The first step in experiencing Jesus as King is recognizing that you need to be rescued, that you need a hero. The rescuer King is born into this world as a human and is the tangible representation of God on earth. His name literally means, “God with us.” He is not some far off distant conqueror. He is near and He came to set people free. The King is here to take his rightful place among His people. The arrival of a new King can cause quite a commotion (Pastor - reference Matthew 2:1-8 in this section of teaching) When king Herod hears that the King of the Jews has been born, he is immediately put on alert. The passage says he was disturbed, and all Jerusalem with him. (Matthew 2:3) This word disturbed doesn’t just mean slightly bothered, it means agitated, stirred up, or more properly to put into motion that which was meant to remain at ease. And we know now that the arrival of Jesus set some things in motion that would change the world forever. Herod wanted to maintain control and keep the peace, but Jesus brought another kingdom with Him and it disturbed the rulers of this world. In his distress, Herod asked the Magi for help finding Jesus. He does all he can to find the King of the Jews but thankfully he falls woefully short and Jesus is free to grow up in relative safety through his infant years. This may be the first time that Jesus has a run-in with earthly authority but it certainly isn’t the last. Throughout His ministry, Jesus was a constant source of agitation to the Jewish and Roman leaders of the day. His kingdom was and is in direct opposition to the kingdom of the world and therefore causes much distress when and where the King takes up His rightful place. In fact Jesus says in Matthew 10:34, “Do not suppose that I have come to bring peace to the earth. I did not come to bring peace, but a sword.” Think of it like this; Jesus comes to cut off and remove the sin that hinders you from experiencing the love, joy, peace, etc… available to you through Him. This is why it can be costly to be His disciple. This is why it can be painful to sever relationships, jobs, hobbies, or other things that do not produce the fruit of the kingdom.End of sample … for the full sermon, get the Matthew: Discover the Kingdom series from ................
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