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Category: Matthew
Matthew 25 “Good and faithful servant” (John Young)
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Matthew 20 “God’s Generosity” (Grant Bradfield)
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Matthew 28:16-20 “The Great Commission” (John van Rij)
This week we are taking a look at the Great Commission. What is the mission of the church? How are we to go about that mission? In Matthew 28, we get the answer to these important questions.
- Why is it important to note that the command to make disciples is the central command in these verses.
- What difference does Jesus’ daily presence with his church make?
- What is authority? How is that different from power?
- Why do you think the bible doesn’t seem to divide evangelism from discipleship? What problems can we get into if we do?
- If the mission of the church is not supposed to be left to just church leaders, what steps could you take towards greater faithfulness in this area?
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16 Now the eleven disciples went to Galilee, to the mountain to which Jesus had directed them. 17 And when they saw him they worshiped him, but some doubted. 18 And Jesus came and said to them, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. 19 Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in[a] the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20 teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.”
Matthew 5:1-16 “Neighbour Love: The Missional Community”
We have looked at Gospel, Worship, and Discipleship recently, and we come to the end of our series on priorities for the church with a sermon on neighbour love. One thing that you may notice in the New Testament epistles is that there are surprisingly few commands to do personal evangelism. Instead, many of the letters are focused on the character of the churches they address. The implication is that the gospel spreads best when churches are communities that are truly full of Grace. In the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus describes the character of those in his kingdom, and connects it to the witness of his people.
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The Sermon on the Mount
5 Seeing the crowds, he went up on the mountain, and when he sat down, his disciples came to him.
The Beatitudes
2 And he opened his mouth and taught them, saying:
3 “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
4 “Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted.
5 “Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth.
6 “Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be satisfied.
7 “Blessed are the merciful, for they shall receive mercy.
8 “Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God.
9 “Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons[a] of God.
10 “Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness’ sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
11 “Blessed are you when others revile you and persecute you and utter all kinds of evil against you falsely on my account. 12 Rejoice and be glad, for your reward is great in heaven, for so they persecuted the prophets who were before you.
Salt and Light
13 “You are the salt of the earth, but if salt has lost its taste, how shall its saltiness be restored? It is no longer good for anything except to be thrown out and trampled under people’s feet.
14 “You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden. 15 Nor do people light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a stand, and it gives light to all in the house. 16 In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that[b] they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven.
Matthew 28:16-20 “Neighbour Love”
This week we continue our series on our core values by looking at Neighbour love. John Stott once said that “If we truly love our neighbor we shall without doubt share with him the good news of Jesus.” We see this in the great commission at the end of Matthew’s gospel. The great commandments to love God and neighbour find a specific expression in a church that believes the promises of Jesus and makes disciples.
For further thoughts on the importance of the Trinity, Kevin Dejoung has a short and helpful article on it here: https://www.thegospelcoalition.org/blogs/kevin-deyoung/the-doctrine-of-the-trinity-no-christianity-without-it/
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16 Now the eleven disciples went to Galilee, to the mountain to which Jesus had directed them. 17 And when they saw him they worshiped him, but some doubted. 18 And Jesus came and said to them, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. 19 Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in[a] the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20 teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.”
Matthew 1:18-25 “The King Comes”
Why should we hold onto hope? Because of Christmas, because the king has come.
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18 Now the birth of Jesus Christ[a] took place in this way. When his mother Mary had been betrothed[b] to Joseph, before they came together she was found to be with child from the Holy Spirit. 19 And her husband Joseph, being a just man and unwilling to put her to shame, resolved to divorce her quietly. 20 But as he considered these things, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream, saying, “Joseph, son of David, do not fear to take Mary as your wife, for that which is conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit. 21 She will bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins.” 22 All this took place to fulfill what the Lord had spoken by the prophet:
23 “Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son,
and they shall call his name Immanuel”
(which means, God with us). 24 When Joseph woke from sleep, he did as the angel of the Lord commanded him: he took his wife, 25 but knew her not until she had given birth to a son. And he called his name Jesus.
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Matthew 28 “Go and Make Disciples”
This week we are looking at Matthew 28 and Jesus’ command for us to ‘Go and Make disciples’. Mark explains
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Matthew 15:1-11 “The Bible is Enough”
Why should we know, love and obey the Word of God? This week we look at Matthew 15:1 – 11 to help us with this question.
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Traditions and Commandments
15 Then Pharisees and scribes came to Jesus from Jerusalem and said,2 “Why do your disciples break the tradition of the elders? For they do not wash their hands when they eat.” 3 He answered them, “And why do you break the commandment of God for the sake of your tradition? 4 For God commanded, ‘Honor your father and your mother,’ and, ‘Whoever reviles father or mother must surely die.’ 5 But you say, ‘If anyone tells his father or his mother, “What you would have gained from me is given to God,”[a] 6 he need not honor his father.’ So for the sake of your tradition you have made void the word[b] of God. 7 You hypocrites! Well did Isaiah prophesy of you, when he said:
8 “‘This people honors me with their lips,
but their heart is far from me;
9 in vain do they worship me,
teaching as doctrines the commandments of men.’”
What Defiles a Person
10 And he called the people to him and said to them, “Hear and understand: 11 it is not what goes into the mouth that defiles a person, but what comes out of the mouth; this defiles a person.”
Matthew 9: 35-38 “Outreach – GPC Values Part 3/3”
John continues to look at the three important values at GPC Invercargill. This week we finish the series off by looking at outreach from Matthew 9: 35 -38.
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The Harvest Is Plentiful, the Laborers Few
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. 36 When he saw the crowds, he had compassion for them, because they were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd. 37 Then he said to his disciples, “The harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few; 38 therefore pray earnestly to the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into his harvest.”