Sermon notes:

God’s strange work  (Matthew 16:21-28)

I.     Any kingdom without a cross comes from the devil.

A.  Saints can become ________________ (v.23a).

B.  “Rocks” can become _______________________ (v.23a).

C.  The two sources of opposition to God are Satan and ____________ (vv.23-24)!

D.  We impose our own ___________________ onto God (v.23b; Psalm 50:21; John 16:2; Galatians 1:13-14).

II.    If Christ’s mission is death and resurrection, He expects no less from us.

A.  We must distinguish between God’s “strange” work and God’s “proper” work (Martin Luther).

B.  The _____________ is God’s strange work.

1.  Christ’s.

2.  Ours.

C.  “God must ________________ our sinful nature in order that we might           be saved.”  “Punishments, crosses and death are the most precious            treasury” (Martin Luther; cf. Hebrews 12:5-11; 1 Peter 4:17-19).

III.   Jesus is worth any price a disciple must pay to follow Him.

A.  His _____________ are incompatible with those of the world (v.23b; Isaiah 55:8-9).

B.  The only way to find one’s life is to lose it (v.25b), _________________ that Christ will come to execute judgment by vindicating His own (v.27).

1.  We may lose our lives through martyrdom. 

2.  We lose our lives daily by denial of __________________ (v.24).

C.  We are saved by the grace of God ____________, and the grace of God will   result in good works (Ephesians 2:8-10; James 2:14-26)

D.  “He is no fool who gives what he cannot keep to gain what he cannot lose” (Jim Elliot).

What do you think of Jesus?  (The question on which everything else in life depends (Matthew 16:13-20))

I.     His identity must be _____________________________ (v.17; John 6:44; Small Catechism, Apostles’ Creed, Art. III).

II.    His identity _______________________________.

A.  Peter’s (v.18; Ephesians 2:20; 1 Corinthians 3:10-11; Revelation 21:14).

B.  Ours (John 10:11; 15:5; Romans 9:21; Revelation 21:2; 1 Peter 2:4-5, 9-10).

III.   His identity as the Son of the living God (v.16, __________________________) means that He has a claim on you (Matthew 4:4,19; John 5:18; Romans 9:5; Colossians 1:16).

IV.   His identity as the ________________________ Christ (v.21) means that you, like Him, will find your life by ____________________ (vv.24-25).   

Sermon notes:

Jesus + nothing = everything (Matthew 14:13-21)

I.     The Context:

A.  __________________ foreshadows Christ’s passion (v.13a; Matthew 2:1-18),

B.  In Matthew, miracles occur only after there is a reference to people __________________ Jesus (v.13b; Matthew 4:25; 8:1,10,23; 9:27; 12:15; 19:2; 20:29,34).

C.  Jesus is moved (v.14).

II.    The disciples overlook Jesus (v.15).

A.  They seem ________________, telling Him: (1) where they are, (2) what time it is, and (3) what He should do (v.15)!

B.  What they do have, they consider as “_________________” (v.17).

III.   Jesus responds (vv.16, 18-19).

A.  “_____________ give them something to eat” (vv.16, 19c).

B.  “Bring them here to Me” (v.18).

1.  Jesus does not create _________________.

2.  He _______________________ what the disciples already had (v.19; 1 Kings 17:8-16; 2 Kings 4:1-7, 42-44).

3.  God employs _________________ things to do extraordinary things (2 Samuel 7:18; Matthew 26:26-28; Luke 1:26-38; Ephesians 5:25-27; 1 Corinthians 1:21-28).

C.  The Lord is not intimidated by ______________________________.

Sermon notes:

“Treasured!” (Matthew 13:44-46)

I.     Your purchases reveal your ______________.

II.    _________ purchases reveal _______ priorities!

A.  ______________ (Exodus 19:5; Deuteronomy 7:6-9; Isaiah 43:3-4). 

B.  The Lord reveals Himself as our _____________-redeemer (Genesis 14:1-16; Ruth 3:9; Romans 8:29).

C.  The entire ministry of Jesus was an extravagant act of ___________________ (vv.44-46; Philippians 2:7; 1 Peter 1:18-20).

III.   Application.

A.  Your value is not inherent (Romans 3:10ff.; 7:24), it is _________________ by  others (Psalm 142:4).

B.  Your value to men is based on __________________________________   (John 6:1-15).

C.  Your value to God is based on __________________________________ (Deuteronomy 7:6-9; John 3:16; 1 Peter 1:18-20). 

D.  Christ purchases a community, but the community is incomplete without _________!

Sermon notes:

Life is like an unweeded field  (Matthew 13:24-30, 36-43)

I.     Why the opposition to Jesus?

A.  Not all ______________ is good (Matthew 13:4-7).  

B.  Not all ______________ is good (v.25).

1.  Darnel is poisonous and resembles wheat.

2.  In literature, it symbolizes subversion and treachery. 

C.  “Wherever the Lord plants His church, the devil builds a _________________” (Martin Luther)

II.    The response of the church. 

A.  Our vocation is not:  ___________________ those who commit lawlessness (vv.28b-29a; John 18:11). 

B.  Our vocation is:  _______________________________ (v.30; 1 Samuel 17:47). 

III.   The response of the Master.

A.  He ________________ the wheat (v.29).

B.  He ________________ the darnel (vv.30; 2 Peter 3:9).

IV.   Takeaways:

A.  The inevitable question:  _________________________________________?

B.  We are sons of the kingdom, not _________________ (v.38).   

C.  We will outlast this unweeded world because we have ______________________________ (v.41; Jeremiah 23:5; 29:11).

Sermon notes:

God’s “questionable” kingdom  (Matthew 13:1-9, 18-23)

I.     The Lord’s illogical generosity (vv.3-7).

II.    Why are so many rejecting the Word of God? 

A.  Christ comes in a Word that is _______________________, in a Word that men can contradict and shout down. 

1.  The Word became flesh (John 1:14).

2.  We have been _____________ of imperishable seed (1 Peter 1:23-25; Matthew 10:16).

B.  The Kingdom comes in _________________, which offends human pride       (1 Kings 19:11-12).

C.  The Parable of the Sower is not primarily exhortation but __________________.

III.   The Lord’s ways are not ours (Isaiah 55:8-9).

A.  The Lord’s __________________ is more powerful than man’s strength (v.8; John 12:24; 1 Corinthians 1:25).

B.  Through the ______________________ Word, God unites people to Himself (Romans 10:17).

C.  Your most important responsibility in life is to _____________ the Word (v.9). 

Sermon notes:

Rumblings of Judgment Day  (Matthew 11:25-30)

I.     The Father’s “gracious” will (v.26):

A.  Christ is ______________ from the “wise” (v.25; 1 Corinthians 1:27);

B.  Christ is ______________ to “little children” (v.25; 1 Corinthians 1:28-29).

II.    How do we know this is the Father’s will?

A.  Jesus alone ______________ the Father (v.27b).

B.  Jesus alone ______________ the Father to whomever He chooses (v.27b).

C.  This scandal of particularity is a cross we bear (John 14:6)!

III.   Living under the Father’s care.

A.  Jesus invites _______________ to _______________ (v.28a). 

1.  In Jesus, God gets a face (v.28a; 2 Corinthians 4:6). 

2.  Those who are burdened receive ____________; those who burden others receive ______________ (Psalm 75:7; 147:6; Luke 1:52; Matthew 23:4).

B.  Christ’s yoke is ________________:  His Father’s will (v.29; Isaiah 53:7; John 3:35; 4:34; 15:13; Philippians 2:5-8).

C.  “Love makes all things ____________” (D.L. Moody; v.30; Matthew 22:35-39; Romans 13:8-10; 1 John 3:16).

Sermon notes:

Seize the cross (Matthew 10:34-42)

I.     Christ divides us from _____________ (vv.34-37)

A.  Charity begins at home.  So does ________________ for the sake of Christ.

1.  Jesus invades our family space, claiming to be the most important ____________ in our lives!

2.  Jesus brings peace with God, but not all receive His peace.  Opposition results.

3.  “A good war is sent [into each home] to break a bad peace” (St. Jerome).

B.  Compromise never involves wholesale capitulation to worldly ways.  Rather, it __________________ them.

C.  Disciples walk the narrow way between family ________________ and family neglect (vv.35-37; 1 Timothy 5:8).

II.    Christ divides you from _______________ (i.e. from your old way of life; vv.38-39).

A.  “take” (v.38; Greek: lambano) = (1) To take on one’s own initiative, or (2) to passively receive.  In v. 38, its meaning is __________________.

B.  The cross is not something we grudgingly accept but ________________ take up/embrace (Isaiah 50:5-7; Luke 9:51).

C.  To take up the cross is the daily decision to give fearless ______________ to Christ (vv.32-33).

III.   Your absolute importance to others (vv.40-42)!

A.  In __________, Jesus Himself confronts others, and in Jesus, God Himself confronts them!

B.  “You are the latest _____________ in a venerable chain of missioners          extending from the missionary God Himself” (F. Dale Bruner).

C.  We scatter blessings wherever we go (Martin Franzmann)!