Crossway Christian Church

We often get stuck in seeing things certain ways because of our own culture and conventions. We tend to think we understand the world around us, and can make sense of all others, and their actions, through those lenses. As disciples, however, those ways of looking at things are at times challenged, and when challenged, ought to be discarded. Today, Jesus puts somewhat odd associations together for us, to help us see the world in (perhaps) a new light.

Do we really need to believe in miracles? There are many in our culture who see our belief in miracles as a clinging to the mystical past, a bygone era of superstition and unscientific trust. Friends, let us know better! The miracles of Jesus tell us as much about him, and what he has come to do, as any of his teachings. We need a miracle worker in our lives, and in Jesus we have just that. Praise him this morning as we read of his wondrous works!

The central question concerning Christianity is historical and straightforward - Did Jesus rise from the grave? While many seek to deny this claim, we have very good reason to affirm it. Let us see why this morning!

As much as Jesus might be known for his wise words of teaching, like in the Sermon on the Mount, he is renowned for his miracles. Many, who would not otherwise be able to tell you almost anything about him, would know that he is held by those who believe in him as a miracle worker. While we have been introduced in a general way to those miracles (4:23), here we have our first introduction to the personal side of them. Matthew is not content just telling us stories, but desires that even those stories be part of an even larger, and more important, story.

Today, we start our 7-part study in apologetics, or the defense of the truth. We begin with a simple introduction to the topic, and review the goals for the class.

Aesop has given us many memorable fables over the years: the boy who cried wolf, the tortoise and the hare, the lion and the mouse. These have been given to us that we might, as little children, learn good morals. One of these, the goose that laid the golden egg, reminds us to flee from greed. But, as fables, we also learn well that anything that seems to good can’t last, or even be true. Today, Jesus challenges that assumption.

Judging others is natural for many of us, and somewhat inescapable. We are constantly making discerning judgments about things, and even people. So, when Jesus says “Judge not” – does he mean that we are to stop all these things? If not, what does he mean, and how are we to apply it? Today, we encounter one of the most misunderstood passages in the New Testament. Nevertheless, it has much wisdom for us. Let us listen well to our Lord!

Worry and anxiety is, it seems, a part of life. Many in this world know what it is to be hungry and cold, and have understandable worries over their next meal and their clothing. Others have much of both, yet are still haunted by doubts about their security. Still others suffer from such strong and binding anxiety that nothing seems to be able to loosen. Jesus’ words today are for all of us. There is no need to fret over the worries and troubles of tomorrow, for God is Father, caring, concerned, and capable to give us all we need.

It is nice, as a pastor, to know we’re not the only ones who chase rabbits in sermons! Two weeks ago, Jesus starting to warn his disciples of acting like hypocrites, who performed their righteous feats only to get the applause of men. Yet, in the middle of that, he diverted to help us to understand how we ought to pray. Today, we resume and complete his teaching, as we are instructed to store up our treasures in heaven. Let those who have eyes to see, see!

Prayer is one of the most basic Christian disciplines, and yet one of the most neglected, and for many, one of the hardest. We have reasons why: we don’t have time; we don’t have the words; we don’t know how. Jesus was not unaware of the problems that people had with prayer. In this, one of the most memorable and important passages in the Bible, Jesus teaches us how to pray and seeks to liberate us from our excuses that we may pursue God as we ought.

Every sport requires not just a desired goal, but a strategy of how to achieve it. Often, the goals are straightforward, but how the team or the individual will pursue those goals can be quite different. Our own goals in the Christian life have been, to a certain extent, laid out for us in chapter 5 by Jesus. But Jesus has some important words for us about how we are to pursue those goals. His warnings, and admonitions, come to us here in the beginning of chapter 6. How should we pursue righteousness?

The world is filled with advice. Our friends give us advice, our parents, even the youngest among us are apt to spew their wisdom to whomever will listen! Some advice is good, some is bad, but none of it will ever be as good as the words of our Lord. His words are always true, even when difficult. But his words are not advice, but wisdom; this is not just the path to a better life, but the way to live wisely in his Kingdom. Let us listen well to his words as we consider the last 3 of his examples on the Greater Righteousness from Matthew 5.

Humans, not just the scribes and the Pharisees, but all of us in some measure try to do the least we can and still make the grade. We want efficiency, to put in a little effort and get maximal output. Yet, when it comes to our morality before God, Jesus informs us that this simply cannot be the case. This was the error of those of old, keeping the law in its barest requirements, and never seeking more. Today, Jesus begins to show us how we are to stretch for more – for a greater righteousness.

The nature and purpose of the law, now that Christ has come and redeemed us from its curse, has been and continues to be a major problem for Christians. We know that we are not saved by keeping it, but how much shall we look to it? How is it to instruct us, and what portions of it are we to follow? Such questions are given a variety of answers because they are indeed challenging. Today, we get help from the Lord, as he tells us his very condensed thoughts on the matter. This tightly packed statement will not tell us everything we need to know, but does provide some important guard rails for us as we move forward.

Salt and light have become so ubiquitous in our world, so normal and easy to find, that we hardly think of them anymore. This was, for the vast majority of human history, not the case. Salt was as good as gold, and light was perhaps even more precious. These are the very things that Jesus calls us to be. Today, as we hear his familiar words, let us be reminded again of the great call and urgent need there is in us being the salt of the earth and the light of the world.

Humans tend to want the same things, no matter the culture or the climate: we want wealth, power, fame, health. We seek these things, or at least whatever we think will gain them, not because of them alone but because they bring with them a happiness, a flourishing in the world. But Jesus has good news for us: God’s flourishing for us, God’s desires for us, include none of those things! We all can have a sense of happiness, be in a state of flourishing, without the trappings of the world. To understand this, let us consider Jesus’ beatitudes.

The Sermon on the Mount is known rightly as the greatest sermon ever preached. Preaching about it is really a daunting task! Why even try? The words of the sermon are always going to be better than anything that I offer, certainly. But, so it is for all of God’s words, and yet we still preach. Preaching is the method that God has given to clear away misunderstanding and to help his people rightly apply his word. To attempt this for the sermon, it is helpful to cover the overall vision of the message before we get into the particulars. There are three questions we will ask of the sermon this morning.

Jesus has had a busy week! But we celebrate today the dawning of the new week, the new work that God has in store for us in the resurrection. On Good Friday we thought through some of the implications of the cross, and today we get to do the same for the empty tomb. What are we to make of the resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ?

Jesus has had a busy week! It is not yet over for him, though. The yielding of his life will give way to the resurrection on Sunday. The two days are inexorably linked, yet they different questions surround them. On Friday, the questions are not so much, “Did Jesus die?”, but, rather, “Why did Jesus die?” What was the purpose of his dying, and what did it accomplish?

We teach our children, from the youngest age, about opposites. High and low, right and left, good and bad. These are helpful concepts to have in life! Yet, sometimes, we don’t rightly apply that very basic concept to the Kingdom of heaven. The Kingdom of Jesus comes as the opposite of the world, as an enemy of the world, which is constantly at war with the world. Let us consider what that means for us today, as we listen to Jesus’ words from the very beginning of his ministry.