The Commands of Christ – Part 10:
Honor marriage, be a servant, be a house of prayer and ask in faith
HOFC - Pastor Bruce A. Shields
This Document is a Sermon Outline, you may hear the full audio of the actual sermon by following the link Online Audio Files located above for this, and other Full Sermon Audios. For a complete list of Sermon Outlines, visit TruthDigest.org, or Truth Digest on facebook; for our Official Church website, visit PS127.org, or find us on facebook at House of Faith Church
SERMON INTRODUCTION
Matthew 28:18-20
18 Then Jesus came to them and said, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me.
19 Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20 and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.”
SERMON SERIES
Part 10 – Honor marriage, be a servant, be a house of prayer and ask in faith
Part 11 – Bring in the poor, render to Caesar, love the Lord and love your neighbor
Part 12 – Await my return, take communion, be born again and keep my commands
Part 13 – Watch and pray, feed my sheep, baptize my disciples
Part 14 – Receive God’s power and make disciples
TODAY’S SERMON
Honor marriage, be a servant, be a house of prayer and ask in faith
SCRIPTURE READING
Jesus is giving this command, to Preach, Baptize and then Teach, to everyone who is a follower of Christ Jesus. He spoke this to the disciples then, and today to His disciples, who are Followers of Christ Jesus.
I. HONOR MARRIAGE
a. Have you not read?
i. “Some Pharisees came to him to test him. They asked, “Is it lawful for a man to divorce his wife for any and every reason?”
4 “Haven’t you read,” he replied, “that at the beginning the Creator ‘made them male and female,’ 5 and said, ‘For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be united to his wife, and the two will become one flesh’? 6 So they are no longer two, but one flesh. Therefore what God has joined together, let no one separate.”
7 “Why then,” they asked, “did Moses command that a man give his wife a certificate of divorce and send her away?”
8 Jesus replied, “Moses permitted you to divorce your wives because your hearts were hard. But it was not this way from the beginning. 9 I tell you that anyone who divorces his wife, except for sexual immorality, and marries another woman commits adultery.”
10 The disciples said to him, “If this is the situation between a husband and wife, it is better not to marry.”
11 Jesus replied, “Not everyone can accept this word, (Because Celibacy is a spiritual gift, and not every has it) but only those to whom it has been given. 12 For there are eunuchs who were born that way, and there are eunuchs who have been made eunuchs by others—and there are those who choose to live like eunuchs for the sake of the kingdom of heaven. The one who can accept this should accept it.” – Matthew 19:3-12
b. Two become one in a Marriage Contract
i. “Let no man separate what God has joined together…”
c. But Moses permitted divorce to what God joined together
i. Moses permitted divorce because of sin in one’s heart
ii. Either the man or woman broke the contract
iii. 1 Timothy 5:8 “Anyone who does not provide for their relatives, and especially for their own household, has denied the faith and is worse than an unbeliever.”
iv. Deuteronomy 24:1 “If a man marries a woman who becomes displeasing to him because he finds something indecent about her, and he writes her a certificate of divorce, gives it to her and sends her from his house”
v. Something “indecent” refers to sexual immorality, Jesus tells us in Matthew 19
vi. In the Old Testament law, if either broke the marriage contract the other had a right to divorce. They also had a right to forgive.
vii. Israel was unfaithful to God in Exodus 32 and He divorced them for breaking the marriage contract.
II. BE A SERVANT
a. Whoever wants to become great
i. “…whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant, 27 and whoever wants to be first must be your slave— 28 just as the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.” – Matthew 20:26b-28
b. To become great among others, you must serve them
i. This is how Jesus lived, by serving others
ii. Not as a door mat, but in helping, counseling, loving
c. Whoever wants to be first must be a slave
i. Slave in the bible does not mean literally “slave” as we think of it
ii. But someone who works for little reward
iii. i.e. Work the fields and you can live on the land
iv. Serve your brothers and you can become great among them
v. Serving others, putting them and their needs before your own is LOVE (I Cor 13)
III. BE A HOUSE OF PRAYER
a. Jesus enters the Temple Courts
i. “Jesus entered the temple courts and drove out all who were buying and selling there. He overturned the tables of the money changers and the benches of those selling doves. 13 “It is written,” he said to them, “‘My house will be called a house of prayer,’ but you are making it ‘a den of robbers.’” – Matthew 21:12-13
b. Den of thieves to House of Prayer
i. They were ripping off those coming to buy sacrificial animals for offerings, and the animals were sub-par and the Temple only accepted Temple Coin, which was not fairly exchanged for money from around the world.
c. We must focus on prayer (as our connection to God and His Spirit through Christ Jesus)
i. Not ways to bring in more money
ii. Especially if those ways are deceitful
iii. If the Temple was in need so desperately, they should have asked God to supply their need rather than resort to stealing from God’s people.
IV. ASK IN FAITH
a. Jesus sees a fig tree not producing figs
i. “Early in the morning, as Jesus was on his way back to the city, he was hungry. 19 Seeing a fig tree by the road, he went up to it but found nothing on it except leaves. Then he said to it, “May you never bear fruit again!” Immediately the tree withered.
20 When the disciples saw this, they were amazed. “How did the fig tree wither so quickly?” they asked.
21 Jesus replied, “Truly I tell you, if you have faith and do not doubt, not only can you do what was done to the fig tree, but also you can say to this mountain, ‘Go, throw yourself into the sea,’ and it will be done. 22 If you believe, you will receive whatever you ask for in prayer.” – Matthew 21:18-22
b. This Literal Event is Symbolic in Teaching
i. This literally happened, it is NOT a parable of Jesus
ii. The disciples witnessed it with their eyes!
iii. But the meaning is symbolic, and we need to understand it
c. What does it all mean?
i. A fig tree not producing fruit
1. This tree is Israel
2. Seeing no fruit being produced, the Lord cursed it never to produce fruit again, and it withered and died.
3. It symbolizes things called by God to produce good things, and if it does not obey its calling, you curse it and move on because it has been disobedient to God’s calling.
ii. If you have faith, and do not doubt
1. You can do what was done to the fig tree.
2. There may be something called by God to produce fruit in your life, and if it is disobedient, curse it and move on.
iii. You can also do this to a mountain
1. Symbolic of the biggest obstacles in your life keeping you from producing fruit you have been called to produce
2. Curse the mountain (whatever it may be in your way) cast it to the sea and move forward!
iv. If you believe, you will receive whatever you ask for in prayer
1. Jesus speaking specifically about producing fruit if called by God and removing obstacles preventing you from accomplishing your calling.
2. Remember, our Father in heaven gives us bread if we pray for a stone, and a fish when we pray for a snake!
CONCLUSION
Matthew 28:18-20
18 Then Jesus came to them and said, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. 19 Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20 and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.”
Jesus promises His us, while we are obeying His commands to preach, baptize and teaching others to obey His commands, He will be with us to the end of this age!
Want to learn more about Salvation and Getting Saved?
Want to hear the audio to this sermon?
No comments:
Post a Comment