Matthew
Matthew 1:1-17
Son of Man, Son of God (Or, Termites in the Family Tree Introduction: We are launching a new series of sermons this morning from the Book of Matthew, the first book in the NT and one of four that are called “Gospels.” Matthew, Mark, Luke and John all share a common theme–the good news of salvation through the life and death of Jesus of Nazareth. They all have much in common, but they are also very different, for each of these disciples…
Matthew 1:18-25
The Forgotten Father: Joseph’s Journey of Faith Introduction: I want to thank you for the many cards and expressions of kindness and love we have received over the past ten days since my father died. The funeral service was a bitter/sweet experience–so many tears and so much joy. He was a remarkable man and we will miss him dearly. I want to publicly thank three of my colleagues–Tom Kluge, Wink Nolte, and Phil Thengvall–for making the long drive to Arkansas to attend the funeral. And…
Matthew 1, Luke 1-3
His Amazing Mother: Why Evangelicals Can and Should Embrace Mary Note: Mike Andrus authored this sermon, but it was presented by his associate Dick High, due to the death of Mike’s father. While this sermon is included in our Matthew series, it is really a follow-up on last week’s sermon on the mother of Jesus and is based on the first chapter of Luke. Scripture reading: Luke 1:26-45 In the sixth month, God sent the angel Gabriel to Nazareth, a town in Galilee, to…
Matthew 1, Luke 1
Holy Mary, Mother of God? Introduction: The cover story for Life magazine a few years ago was entitled The Mystery of Mary. The story begins: “Two thousand years after the Nativity, the mother of Jesus is more beloved, powerful and controversial than ever.” I may be adding to the controversy this morning. Before we get started, I would like to know how many of you grew up Roman Catholic or Eastern Orthodox, or perhaps even now belong to a Catholic or Orthodox Church. I had a dear…
Matthew 2:1-12
Wise Men Still Seek Him, (or “Curse Those Filthy, Wicked Magi”) Note: This sermon was preached at First Free in St. Louis. Introduction: I want to read a news article to you from next Sunday’s St. Louis Post Dispatch. If you wonder how I can get hold of a news event a week in advance, well, I’m a senior pastor, you know; we have special connections. This short article is from page 3 of the international news section and is headlined: “Jesus Christ Returns to Earth.”…
Matthew 2:13-23
When God Doesn’t Make Sense Note: This sermon was preached by Associate Pastor Jeff Schultz at First Free St. Louis. Introduction: How are things going for you? Is life working out the way you planned? Maybe things are going well, but you still fear that if you don’t keep it together, things will fall apart? We follow a God who doesn’t always (or often!) do things the way we would – what makes sense to us is often not the way God…
Matthew 3:1-12
Messiah’s Strange Advance Team Introduction: A few years ago on Dateline NBC there was an hour-long expose of faith healer and televangelist Benny Hinn. I personally don’t trust network investigators much further than I can throw them, but even after adjusting for the media’s obvious bias against Christians in general and televangelists in particular, I am still amazed at the gullibility of vast crowds of people who come to watch a flamboyant entertainer like Benny Hinn, accept his claim that he is…
Matthew 3:13-4:2
From Coronation to Crucible Introduction: We come today to two of the most important events in Jesus’ life–His baptism and His temptation by Satan in the wilderness. I think it is not accidental that these two events occurred back-to-back. The author is trying to communicate an important truth to us, namely that times of significant victory are often followed by great times of trial and temptation. There are several causes of this common occurrence. First, we ourselves help bring it about. When things are…
Matthew 4:1-11
Getting Victory Over Temptation Introduction: As most of you know, our preaching schedule got a little out of order due to a couple of snow Sundays in January. Last week Josh Black brought a great message on the calling of Jesus’ first disciples in Matthew 4, but today I’m going to back up to an event which just preceded the calling of the Twelve–the Temptation of Christ. We broached this subject three weeks ago as we talked about how vulnerable we can be…
Matthew 4:12-25, 5:13-16
A Light Has Dawned Introduction: One of my special memories as a child is open air evangelism meetings at Creve Coeur Lake in the late 40’s. My father pastored a little church in Maryland Heights. From time to time in the summer, the church family would gather out at Creve Coeur Lake on a Sunday night and my father would preach out in the open to anyone who would stop to listen. But what I remember most was the singing. Someone in the church had…
Matthew 5:1-12
A Sermon for the Ages: Character Qualities of a Counter Cultural Christian Introduction: I thought I should clarify that when I use the title, “A Sermon for the Ages” this morning, I’m not referring to my sermon but rather to The Sermon on the Mount, which is the subject of my sermon today and for the next seven weeks. Jesus’ sermon, as recorded in Matthew 5-7, is probably the best-known and most often quoted of all of Jesus’ teachings, though arguably it is also the least…
Matthew 5:17-26
A Sermon for the Ages: What Does Acceptable Righteousness Look Like? In our journey through the Life of Christ from the Gospel of Matthew, we have arrived at the Sermon on the Mount. This discourse takes up three full chapters, Matthew 5-7, and opens with the Beatitudes, a description of the life of a true disciple that is radically opposed to our nature and our culture. Twice in our study of the Beatitudes last Sunday we came across the term “righteousness.” In verse 6 we…