Matthew Part 4 Nasb Draft

Matthew 13 Are we just dust in the wind?

1. INTRODUCTION / BACKGROUND

Matthew was the son of Alphaeus, and was a tax collector in Capernaum for the Roman government. Just as the IRS is not our favorite agency to deal with, so others probably despised Matthew. He gave a large reception for Christ in his house so that his associates could meet Jesus. Matthew became one of the apostles, the “sent-out” ones. This book was written somewhere in between about 50 and 100 A.D. It is the first book in the New Testament, since it is a natural bridge between the Old and the New. To show that Christ is the Messiah, Matthew used 130 Old Testament quotations and allusions, more than any other book. He is the only evangelist to use the term “church”. The book is like a manual for new converts and one for church leaders as well. The book shows Christ as the lion, the King. It sounds like a good title for a movie to me. :)

To get the context of our passage, before it are the controversies of Christ working and healing on the Sabbath, and the Pharisees planning to destroy Christ because of this. After our passage, there are many other parables and stories. You may wonder about the title of the message. It comes from a classic rock song of the same name, by Kansas. I believe we are more than Dust in the Wind. We are soil to be seeded by The Sower. We, too, can sow seed in others’ lives. We can spread the Word worldwide.

2. CHRIST TEACHES WITH PARABLES / STORIES.

The people followed Christ because of all the miracles He did. The reason He spoke on a boat on the sea, facing the crowds on the shore, was to get better acoustics. We remember stories better than abstract concepts. That’s why Christ used them.

A. THE ROAD; THE BIRDS ATE THE SEEDS.

Unless we are saved and discipled, we can become like these seeds. We need to be grounded in the Word of God in a Christian church, as we are here.

B. THE ROCKY PLACES DO NOT ALLOW ROOTS TO GROW.

The seeds sprang up quickly since they did not have roots, and burned up and died because they could not get to water. Some Christians burn out since they do not understand the basics of Christianity. We need the milk and the meat of the Word, and we need the Holy Spirit in our lives to rejuvenate us. But “the meat is on the street” (John Wimber), when we’re “doin’ the stuff” outside of the church. The kingdom of God is not just on Sundays; it’s every day of the week. We need to be fed, grow & multiply daily.

C. THE THORNS CHOKED THE SEEDS.

Just as the crown of thorns that Christ wore at His crucifixion hurt Him, so can the thorns of life hurt us. We can be prevented from growing. There are distractions in life that get us focused on the physical, not the spiritual aspects of life. I’ll talk more about this later.

D. THE GOOD SOIL PRODUCED 30, 60, AND 100 TIMES THE CROP.

We sometimes need fertilizer to get a better crop. I just moved into a townhome on post, and the backyard wasn’t watered much, so I was offered fertilizer to help the lawn grow. It may stink and literally be dirty, but it will help the grass look better. So, too, do the circumstances in life sometimes stink and get us dirty and beat up, but in the long run, it produces endurance and character in us, so God can use us more, show us off.

3. THE EXPLANATION OF THE MYSTERIES OF THE KINGDOM

Isaiah’s prophecy touches on the message I did several weeks ago, on predestination. God chooses to let some people know the secrets of the kingdom through parables, stories, and the gifts of the Holy Spirit, such as the word of wisdom, word of knowledge, and discerning of spirits, which we find in 1 Corinthians 12. God’s ways are higher than man’s ways. (Isaiah 55:9) We need to be still and know that He is God. Sometimes God allows our hearts to be hardened, like Pharaoh’s heart in the Old Testament. Sometimes we harden it ourselves. But to harden sometimes means to encourage. I spent last week in Grand Junction at a church conference. I saw a potter make a pot, as he explained how it is similar to God making us. We are clay in God’s hands, and if we don’t have the Holy Spirit in our lives, the refreshing water, we may break as God molds us. But we can turn into a masterpiece as God forms us.