THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO MATTHEW: CHRIST IS KING
1. Jesus’ Practices: Weddings, Wrestlings, Warnings & Woes, (Matt. 22-23).
Key: The Never-Ending Struggle Between Religious Traditionalism & True Religion.
a. The Wedding, (22:1-2).
- Religious Traditionalism Does What It Wants With God’s Invitation, (22:5-6).
- True Religion Is Simply Glad To Be Invited, (22:9-10).
- Religious Traditionalism Has No Answers, (22:12).
b. The Wrestlings (Entanglements), (22:15).
- God Has His Place & Government Has Its Place, (22:21).
- God Is A God Of The Living, (22:32).
- God Is To Be Humanity’s 1st Love, (23:37-38).
- Neighbor Is To Be Humanity’s 2nd Love, (23:39).
- Everything Else Hinges On These Two, (22:40).
- Jesus Christ Is Lord, (22:42-45).
- Conclusion: Shut ‘Em Down! (22:46).
c. The Warnings, (23:1-2).
- Be Careful Of Talkers, (23:3).
- Be Careful Of Showmen, (23:5).
- Be Careful Of Title-Chasers, (23:6-7).
- Be Careful Of Usurpers, (23:8-10).
- Conclusion: Another Repeat Lesson On Humility, (23:11-12).
d. The Woes:
- Woe When Ministry Keeps Others Out, (23:13).
- Woe When Ministry Is Pretentious, (23:14).
- Woe When Ministry Makes People Worse, (23:15).
- Woe When The Vision-Less Dare To Lead, (23:16-17).
- Woe When Ministry Focus Is Only Minutiae, (23:23a).
- Woe When Ministry Lacks Justice-Mercy-Faith, (23:23b).
- Woe When Ministry Is Only In Appearance, (23:27-28).
The Pattern: True Religion Is Jesus Religion, (James 1:26-27).