MATTHEW

THY KINGDOM COME–MATTHEW 6:9-10

Art Davison MATTHEW 0 Comment
THY KINGDOM COME
MATTHEW 6:9-10

Introduction:
There are six petitions in the Lord’s prayer. The first three relating more immediately to God and his honour, the last three to our own needs. We will concern ourselves to the first three petitions: “Hallowed be thy name. 10-Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done in earth.” While this passage is a discussion about prayer, we will concern ourselves with the specifics of the first three petitions.

I. THE NAME OF GOD WILL BE HALLOWED

A. Jesus has taught us to pray, v. 9a, “After this manner therefore pray ye:..”

1. The Lord corrected his disciples in the manner of prayer, v. 5, “And when thou prayest, thou shalt not be as the hypocrites are: for they love to pray standing in the synagogues and in the corners of the streets, that they may be seen of men. Verily I say unto you, They have their reward.”

2. “But when ye pray, use not…” vs. 7-8, “But when ye pray, use not vain repetitions, as the heathen do: for they think that they shall be heard for their much speaking. 8-Be not ye therefore like unto them: for your Father knoweth what things ye have need of, before ye ask him.”

a. …vain repetitions.

b. …much speaking to be heard.

3. Don’t be like the Pharisees.

B. Jesus has taught us to pray that God’s name would be “hollowed,” that is, to be…

1. Exalted, Psalm 46:10, “Be still, and know that I am God: I will be exalted among the heathen, I will be exalted in the earth.”

2. Reverenced, Exodus 20:7, “Thou shalt not take the name of the LORD thy God in vain; for the LORD will not hold him guiltless that taketh his name in vain.”

3. Glorified, 2 Thessalonians 1:12, “That the name of our Lord Jesus Christ may be glorified in you, and ye in him, according to the grace of our God and the Lord Jesus Christ.”

II. THY KINGDOM COME

A. Jesus is coming again and His Coming will be…

1. Literal, that is, He is actually, physically coming again, Acts 1:11, “Which also said, Ye men of Galilee, why stand ye gazing up into heaven? this same Jesus, which is taken up from you into heaven, shall so come in like manner as ye have seen him go into heaven.

2. He is coming to rapture out His people, 1 Corinthians 15:51-52, “Behold, I shew you a mystery; We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed, 52- In a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump: for the trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed.”

a. The Resurrection and the Rapture happen at the same time, 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18.

b. “We shall all be changed” refers to our glorified bodies, 1 John 3:2, “Beloved, now are we the sons of God, and it doth not yet appear what we shall be: but we know that, when he shall appear, we shall be like him; for we shall see him as he is.

C. His Second Advent will be…

1. Visible, every eye shall see Him, Revelation 1:7, “Behold, he cometh with clouds; and every eye shall see him, and they also which pierced him: and all kindreds of the earth shall wail because of him. Even so, Amen. Matthew 24:30, “And then shall appear the sign of the Son of man in heaven: and then shall all the tribes of the earth mourn, and they shall see the Son of man coming in the clouds of heaven with power and great glory.”

2. Bodily, this will not be a spirit, but the God of Heaven, Matthew 16:27, “For the Son of man shall come in the glory of his Father with his angels; and then he shall reward every man according to his works.”

a. His millennial kingdom shall be set up.

b. He will rule in righteousness.

III. THE WILL OF GOD WILL BE DONE

A. Let the Lord do what he will with me, 1 Samuel 3:18, “And Samuel told him every whit, and hid nothing from him. And he said, It is the LORD: let him do what seemeth him good.”

1. Let us live within the will of God, 1 Peter 4:2, “That he no longer should live the rest of his time in the flesh to the lusts of men, but to the will of God.

2. The alternative is the will of Satan, John 8:44, “Ye are of your father the devil, and the lusts of your father ye will do. He was a murderer from the beginning, and abode not in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he speaketh a lie, he speaketh of his own: for he is a liar, and the father of it.” Matthew 12:30, “He that is not with me is against me; and he that gathereth not with me scattereth abroad.”

B. The Pattern is God’s will as done in Heaven, Psalm 40:7-10, “Then said I, Lo, I come: in the volume of the book it is written of me, 8- I delight to do thy will, O my God: yea, thy law is within my heart. 9-I have preached righteousness in the great congregation: lo, I have not refrained my lips, O LORD, thou knowest. 10-I have not hid thy righteousness within my heart; I have declared thy faithfulness and thy salvation: I have not concealed thy lovingkindness and thy truth from the great congregation.”

1. Not forced, but willingly, “I delight to do thy will, O my God.” John 4:34, “Jesus saith unto them, My meat is to do the will of him that sent me, and to finish his work.”

2. God’s law rules in my heart, “yea, thy law is within my heart.” Psalm 119:34, “Give me understanding, and I shall keep thy law; yea, I shall observe it with my whole heart.”

3. The breaking of God’s law horrifies the faithful, Psalm 119:53, “Horror hath taken hold upon me because of the wicked that forsake thy law.”

CONCLUSION

Do you believe that prayer? Do you think that Jesus Christ would have taught us to pray this prayer if it would not have been answered? His kingdom has not come yet on earth. His will is not being done on earth. But it shall be, it will be because our Lord taught us to pray for that outcome.

THINGS KEPT SECRET FROM “ANTIQUITY”–MATTHEW 13:34-35

Art Davison MATTHEW 0 Comment
THINGS KEPT SECRET FROM “ANTIQUITY”
MATTHEW 13:34-35

Introduction:
The Lord was teaching the multitudes, Matthew 13:2, “And great multitudes were gathered together unto him, so that he went into a ship, and sat; and the whole multitude stood on the shore.” He was speaking in parables fulfilling David’s prophecy. Luke declares that David was a prophet, Acts 2:30, “Therefore being a prophet, and knowing that God had sworn with an oath to him, that of the fruit of his loins, according to the flesh, he would raise up Christ to sit on his throne.”

These were things alluded to by David and others in the Old Testament which the Lord was bringing to their understanding, Psalms 78:2-3, “I will open my mouth in a parable: I will utter dark sayings of old: 3 Which we have heard and known, and our fathers have told us.”

Since these things have been kept secret or as David called them, “dark sayings,” what were they?

I. A SAVIOR THAT WAS PROMISED

1 Peter 1:20, “Who verily was foreordained before the foundation of the world, but was manifest in these last times for you,

A. Salvation is not by corruptible things, 1 Peter 1:18, “Forasmuch as ye know that ye were not redeemed with corruptible things, as silver and gold, from your vain conversation received by tradition from your fathers;”

B. Salvation is by the blood of the Lamb, 1 Peter 1:19-21, “But with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot: 20 Who verily was foreordained before the foundation of the world, but was manifest in these last times for you, 21 Who by him do believe in God, that raised him up from the dead, and gave him glory; that your faith and hope might be in God.”

II. A CHURCH THAT JESUS HIMSELF BUILT

Matthew 16:18, “And I say also unto thee, That thou art Peter, and upon this rock I will build my church; and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it.”

A. It is the Church of the Firstborn, Hebrews 12:23, “To the general assembly and church of the firstborn, which are written in heaven, and to God the Judge of all, and to the spirits of just men made perfect,”

1. This is the Church for which Jesus shed His blood, Acts 20:28, “Take heed therefore unto yourselves, and to all the flock, over the which the Holy Ghost hath made you overseers, to feed the church of God, which he hath purchased with his own blood.”

2. This is the church that will continue because He will continue, Matthew 16:21, “From that time forth began Jesus to shew unto his disciples, how that he must go unto Jerusalem, and suffer many things of the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be killed, and be raised again the third day.”

3. This is the church that He protects from extinction until He returns, Matthew 16:18, “And I say also unto thee, That thou art Peter, and upon this rock I will build my church; and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it.”

III. A KINGDOM PREPARED BY GOD

Matthew 25:34, “Then shall the King say unto them on his right hand, Come, ye blessed of my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world:

A. A Place prepared for God’s people, John 14:3, “And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again, and receive you unto myself; that where I am, there ye may be also.”

B. A Place where we will witness and share the Lord’s glory, John 17:24, “Father, I will that they also, whom thou hast given me, be with me where I am; that they may behold my glory, which thou hast given me: for thou lovedst me before the foundation of the world.”

C. A Place of rest where we will know all of His works from the foundation of the world, Hebrews 4:3, “For we which have believed do enter into rest, as he said, As I have sworn in my wrath, if they shall enter into my rest: although the works were finished from the foundation of the world.

1. Where we will understand fully the great doctrines of His Word, Ephesians 1:4, “According as he hath chosen us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before him in love:”

2. Where we will learn to appreciate just what the Lord has done for us, Hebrews 9:26, “For then must he often have suffered since the foundation of the world: but now once in the end of the world hath he appeared to put away sin by the sacrifice of himself.”

1) A place where there is not death nor sorrow or any such thing, Revelation 21:4, “And God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes; and there shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain: for the former things are passed away.”

2) A place where we will ever be with the Lord, 1 Thessalonians 4:17, “Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord.”

CONCLUSION

Many of these things were alluded to in the Old Testament, but were not fully understood until the Lord Jesus came and began to unveil them. Oh, how we have been blessed by the Lord to be a part of these great blessings.

Regrettably many people have rejected all of this and will die without Christ and spend eternity in hell simply because they would not believe the truth.

THE WORD WAS MADE FLESH–MATTHEW 1:16, 20-23

Art Davison MATTHEW 0 Comment
THE WORD WAS MADE FLESH
MATTHEW 1:16, 20-23

John 1:14, “And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father,) full of grace and truth.”

Introduction:

This is the time of the year when many people go to church or at least think about Jesus Christ. Gifts are given at this time for reasons that many will not connect to Him. Most people today are ignorant of who Jesus is. Most do not think of Him as the Son of God. God the Father sent Jesus, His only-begotten Son, at a time that God had planned before the world began.

Many do not know who the Son of God is. He is a very special person as we will see.

I. GOD’S SON IS SENT FORTH

A. In the fullness of time, Galatians 4:4, “But when the fulness of the time was come, God sent forth his Son, made of a woman, made under the law,”

1. Made of a woman, Genesis 3:15, “And I will put enmity between thee and the woman, and between thy seed and her seed; it shall bruise thy head, and thou shalt bruise his heel.”

2. Made under the Law, Isaiah 9:6-7, “For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: and the government shall be upon his shoulder: and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace. 7 Of the increase of his government and peace there shall be no end, upon the throne of David, and upon his kingdom, to order it, and to establish it with judgment and with justice from henceforth even for ever. The zeal of the LORD of hosts will perform this.”

B. He became a man, John 1:14, “And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father,) full of grace and truth.”

1. His name is Emmanuel, “God with us,” Matthew 1:23, “Behold, a virgin shall be with child, and shall bring forth a son, and they shall call his name Emmanuel, which being interpreted is, God with us.”

a. He was born of a virgin, Isaiah 7:14, “Therefore the Lord himself shall give you a sign; Behold, a virgin shall conceive, and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel.”

b. He is the God of Heaven, John 1:1-3, “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. 2 The same was in the beginning with God. 3 All things were made by him; and without him was not any thing made that was made.”

2. His name is Jesus, Matthew 1:21, “And she shall bring forth a son, and thou shalt call his name JESUS [that is, Saviour]: for he shall save his people from their sins.”

3. His name is “The Word of God,” Revelation 19:13, “And he was clothed with a vesture dipped in blood: and his name is called The Word of God”

II. JESUS DWELT AMONG US

A. At twelve years of age He amazed the doctors of the Law, Luke 2:42, 46-47, “And when he was twelve years old, they went up to Jerusalem after the custom of the feast. 46 And it came to pass, that after three days they found him in the temple, sitting in the midst of the doctors, both hearing them, and asking them questions. 47 And all that heard him were astonished at his understanding and answers.”

B. At the age of 30 He began His ministry.

1. He participated in our life as a man, Hebrews 2:14, “Forasmuch then as the children are partakers of flesh and blood, he also himself likewise took part of the same; that through death he might destroy him that had the power of death, that is, the devil;”

2. He preached the same message as John the Baptist, Matthew 4:17, “From that time Jesus began to preach, and to say, Repent: for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.”

3. He performed miracles, Matthew 4:23, “And Jesus went about all Galilee, teaching in their synagogues, and preaching the gospel of the kingdom, and healing all manner of sickness and all manner of disease among the people.”

4. He suffered and died for our sins, Galatians 1:4, “Who gave himself for our sins, that he might deliver us from this present evil world, according to the will of God and our Father:”

a. He gave Himself as a ransom, 1 Timothy 2:6, “Who gave himself a ransom for all, to be testified in due time.”

b. He suffered the Just for the unjust, 1 Peter 3:18, “For Christ also hath once suffered for sins, the just for the unjust, that he might bring us to God, being put to death in the flesh, but quickened by the Spirit:”

c. He died for us of His own free will, John 10:17-18, “Therefore doth my Father love me, because I lay down my life, that I might take it again. 18 No man taketh it from me, but I lay it down of myself. I have power to lay it down, and I have power to take it again. This commandment have I received of my Father.”

d. He died to put away sin, Hebrews 9:26, For then must he often have suffered since the foundation of the world: but now once in the end of the world hath he appeared to put away sin by the sacrifice of himself.”

e. He was raised for our justification, Romans 4:25, “Who was delivered for our offences, and was raised again for our justification.”

CONCLUSION

The God of Heaven has accomplished redemption for us through the sacrifice of His Son, Jesus Christ. He is not a babe in a manger, nor is He on the Cross of Calvary today, but in the very presence of God the Father. He is seated at the right hand of the throne of God making intercession for you and I who know Jesus as our Savior.

He is coming again very soon. Are you ready if He should come today?

THE WORD OF GOD-MATTHEW 4:1-4

Art Davison MATTHEW 0 Comment
THE WORD OF GOD
MATTHEW 4:1-4
Introduction:

Do you think that the Bible is really the Word of God? If it is, do you think that it is the solution of our problems? My response to that question is, YES!! However, we need to see what the Bible itself says in that regard.

I. I Believe that the Bible is the Word of God!

A. It is the Complete Revelation of God.


Revelation 22:18-19, “For I testify unto every man that heareth the words of the prophecy of this book, If any man shall add unto these things, God shall add unto him the plagues that are written in this book:

And if any man shall take away from the words of the book of this prophecy, God shall take away his part out of the book of life, and out of the holy city, and from the things which are written in this book.”

1. There is nothing that needs to be added to it.

2. Nothing should be taken from it.

B. It is the Word of God, therefore, it is without error,2 Peter 1:21, “For the prophecy came not in old time by the will of man: but holy men of God spake as they were moved by the Holy Ghost.”

II. I Believe That The Bible Was Written For Man.

A. The message of salvation is for all men, Revelation 22:17, “And the Spirit and the bride say, Come. And let him that heareth say, Come. And let him that is athirst come. And whosoever will, let him take the water of life freely.

B. After man is converted to Christ, the rest of the Bible is for the purpose of guiding him through his life, 1 Corinthians 2:14-16, “But the natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God: for they are foolishness unto him: neither can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned. But he that is spiritual judgeth all things, yet he himself is judged of no man. For who hath known the mind of the Lord, that he may instruct him? But we have the mind of Christ.”

1. A non-believer in Christ (the natural man) does not understand the Bible, v. 14.

2. But the believer in Christ has the ability to understand the Word of God, vs. 15-16.

III. I Believe That The Bible Shows Us Important Things.

A. Man is a Sinner.

1. Sin is the violation of God’s law, for example, the ten commandments, Exodus 20:3-17.

a. “Thou shalt have no other gods before me.”

b. “Thou shalt not kill. Thou shalt not commit adultery. Thou shalt not steal.” Vs. 13-15.

2. Man brought sin into the world, Romans 5:12, “Wherefore, as by one man sin entered into the world, and death by sin; and so death passed upon all men, for that all have sinned:” See Romans 3:23.

Jesus Christ is the ONLY HOPE of man, Acts 4:12, “Neither is there salvation in any other: for there is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved.”

B. Salvation is by FAITH IN CHRIST, Ephesians 2:8-9, “Neither is there salvation in any other: for there is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved.”

Conclusion

The Bible is the Word of God. It has the solution of all of his problems. HIS GREATEST PROBLEM IS SIN!

The solution: FAITH IN JESUS CHRIST AS HIS SAVIOR!!! The rest is not difficult.

THE TREASURE OF TALENTS–MATTHEW 25:14-30

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THE TREASURE OF TALENTS
MATTHEW 25:14-30
INTRODUCTION:
We have a real treasure within ourselves, that is, the talents that God has given each of us that are to be used to glorify Him. What are we doing with those talents? Perhaps this study will give you insight as to whether you are glorifying the Lord with your talents.
I. ABILITY–the CAPACITY TO SERVE

God has given each of us exactly what we need in order to serve Him.

A. He has give us HIS GRACE in order to do the thing He has called us to do.

Ephesians 4:7-8, But unto every one of us is given grace according to the measure of the gift of Christ. 8 Wherefore he saith, When he ascended up on high, he led captivity captive, and gave gifts unto men.

2 Corinthians 9:8, And God is able to make all grace abound toward you; that ye, always having all sufficiency in all things, may abound to every good work:

B. He has given the manifestation of the Spirit (the evidence that the Lord lives in us).

1 Corinthians 12:7, But the manifestation of the Spirit is given to every man to profit withal.

C. He has given us the RIGHT SPIRIT in order to do the work.

2 Timothy 1:7, For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind.
II. ANTICIPATION

God expects all Christians to serve Him with their God-given talents.

A. We should anticipate God’s call to serve Him by letting His light shire in our lives.

Matthew 5:16, Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven.

B. The fact that the LORD has chosen us should bring anticipation of the great opportunities of service for Christ.

John 15:16, Ye have not chosen me, but I have chosen you, and ordained you, that ye should go and bring forth fruit, and that your fruit should remain: that whatsoever ye shall ask of the Father in my name, he may give it you.

C. We are His workmanship, that is, we were created for this purpose.

Ephesians 2:10, For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them.

Titus 3:8, This is a faithful saying, and these things I will that thou affirm constantly, that they which have believed in God might be careful to maintain good works. These things are good and profitable unto men.
III. AVAILABILITY

The greatest ability is availability! Now honestly, are you really available to God?

Isaiah 6:8, Also I heard the voice of the Lord, saying, Whom shall I send, and who will go for us? Then said I, Here am I; send me.

“I think it’s time we challenged the notion that the church is a volunteer army. Since when did God give us the option of enlisting? Does He discuss terms of commitment with us? Should faithfulness be expected only of those who get paid for their work?” (Edwin W. Lutzer, pastor of Moody Church in Chicago, Illinois).
IV. ACCOUNTABILITY

God will judge each Christian according to HIS SERVICE.

Matthew 25:14-30

A. We have to account to the Lord for the talents He has given to us and how we have used them for His glory.

B. An unfaithful servant will suffer loss of rewards when we stand before the Lord.

2 Corinthians 5:10, For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ; that every one may receive the things done in his body, according to that he hath done, whether it be good or bad.

CONCLUSION:

Our talents may not be many, but they are sufficient for the work the Lord has called us to do. Our responsibility is to put them to use in His service. NOT BODY WAS EVER CALLED TO BE A BENCH WARMER!!!