I. EXORDIUM:
Who would like to be a prostitute?
II. AUDIENCE PROFILE:
General with ministry involvement.
III. OBJECTIVES:
To show that all especially prostitutes need GOD.
IV. TEXT:
Matthew 21:31
“Which of the two obeyed his father?”
They replied, “The first.”
Then Jesus explained his meaning: “I tell you the truth, corrupt tax collectors and prostitutes will get into the Kingdom of God before you do.
Pray: Build up the burden for lost souls for the prostitutes to create the hunger and thirst to evangelize and minister to the prostitutes.
V. THESIS:
Prostitutes need GOD. Prostitutes need to hear GOD's Words.
VI. TITLE:
Ministry To The Prostitutes
VII. EXPLICATION:
A. Author: Matthew, also called Levi, one of the twelve (12) apostles, Mark 2:14, Jew who was a Roman tax collector, Matthew 10:3, called a sinner because he enters Roman court.
Mark 2:14
As he was walking along, he saw Levi, the son of Alphaeus, sitting at the tax collector's desk. Jesus told him, "Follow me!" So Levi got up and followed him.
Matthew 10:3
Philip and Bartholomew; Thomas and Matthew the tax collector; James, the son of Alphaeus, and Thaddaeus;
B. Audience: to the Jews
C. Keywords: Fulfilled
D. Purpose: To show Jesus of Nazareth was the Kingly Messiah of Jewish Prophecy.
E. Job/Profession:
Tax collector, a publican.
A Jew prohibited to enter courts of non-Jew to deliver the collected tax to the Roman (non-Jews). His profession made him a sinner.
(Isaiah 52:11, 2 Corinthians 6:17, Colossians 2:21, Genesis 3:3, Acts 10:28, Acts 11:3, John 4:9)
Isaiah 52:11
"Depart! Depart! Go out from there; touch no unclean thing; go out from the midst of her; purify yourselves, you who carry the vessels of the LORD.
2 Corinthians 6:17
Therefore, "Get away from them and separate yourselves from them," declares the Lord, "and don't touch anything unclean. Then I will welcome you.
Colossians 2:21
"Don't handle this! Don't taste or touch that!"
Genesis 3:3
"but as for the fruit of the tree that is in the middle of the garden, God has said, 'You are not to eat from it, nor are you to touch it, or you will die.'"
Acts 10:28
He told them, "You understand how wrong it is for a Jew to associate or visit with a gentile. But God has shown me that I should stop calling anyone common or unclean,
Acts 11:3
They said, "You went to uncircumcised men and ate with them!"
John 4:9
The Samaritan woman asked him, "How can you, a Jew, ask for a drink from me, a Samaritan woman?" Because Jews do not have anything to do with Samaritans.
Events that will make Matthew unclean or a sinner:
1. Matthew will touch the money of the people.
2. Often thought of him stealing money, or adding charges to the people that will go straight to his pocket.
3. He will enter Roman courts to deliver the money.
4. He might be probably advised to eat with them if he has a good tax collection that day.
5. Touch unclean hands of the Romans.
VIII. MAIN BODY:
A. Characteristics of a prostitute:
1. Unfaithful - Leviticus 20:6
Leviticus 20:6
“I will also turn against those who commit spiritual prostitution by putting their trust in mediums or in those who consult the spirits of the dead. I will cut them off from the community.
- there's GOD but they consult mediums and spiritists.
2. Disobedient - (Matthew 21:29, Number 15:39)
Matthew 21:29
29 The son answered, ‘No, I won’t go,’ but later he changed his mind and went anyway.
Number 15:39
When you see the tassels, you will remember and obey all the commands of the Lord instead of following your own desires and defiling yourselves, as you are prone to do.
- they follow their own desires and ways
3. They will reduce you to poverty. (Proverbs 6:26)
Proverbs 6:26
For a prostitute will bring you to poverty,
but sleeping with another man’s wife will cost you your life.
- they will prey on your own life and money
4. Seducer and deceiver (Proverbs 7:10-23)
Proverbs 7:10-23
10 The woman approached him,
seductively dressed and sly of heart.
11 She was the brash, rebellious type,
never content to stay at home.
12 She is often in the streets and markets,
soliciting at every corner.
13 She threw her arms around him and kissed him,
and with a brazen look she said,
14 “I’ve just made my peace offerings
and fulfilled my vows.
15 You’re the one I was looking for!
I came out to find you, and here you are!
16 My bed is spread with beautiful blankets,
with colored sheets of Egyptian linen.
17 I’ve perfumed my bed
with myrrh, aloes, and cinnamon.
18 Come, let’s drink our fill of love until morning.
Let’s enjoy each other’s caresses,
19 for my husband is not home.
He’s away on a long trip.
20 He has taken a wallet full of money with him
and won’t return until later this month. ”
21 So she seduced him with her pretty speech
and enticed him with her flattery.
22 He followed her at once,
like an ox going to the slaughter.
He was like a stag caught in a trap,
23 awaiting the arrow that would pierce its heart.
He was like a bird flying into a snare,
little knowing it would cost him his life.
5. Treacherous and deep pit (Proverbs 23:27)
Proverbs 23:27
A prostitute is a dangerous trap;
a promiscuous woman is as dangerous as falling into a narrow well.
6. Beauty for hire (Ezekiel 16:15)
Ezekiel 16:15
“But you thought your fame and beauty were your own. So you gave yourself as a prostitute to every man who came along. Your beauty was theirs for the asking.
7. Idolaters (Ezekiel 23:7)
Ezekiel 23:7
And so she prostituted herself with the most desirable men of Assyria, worshiping their idols and defiling herself.
8. Sexually available for any man (Hosea 3:3)
Hosea 3:3
Then I said to her, “You must live in my house for many days and stop your prostitution. During this time, you will not have sexual relations with anyone, not even with me.
9. Flesh workers, unjoinable to CHRIST (1 Corinthians 6:15-16)
1 Corinthians 6:15-16
15 Don’t you realize that your bodies are actually parts of Christ? Should a man take his body, which is part of Christ, and join it to a prostitute? Never!16 And don’t you realize that if a man joins himself to a prostitute, he becomes one body with her? For the Scriptures say, “The two are united into one.”
B. How To Reach Them?
1. Go wherever they are. (Joshua 2:1, Joshua 6:22)
Joshua 2:1
Then Joshua secretly sent out two spies from the Israelite camp at Acacia Grove. He instructed them, “Scout out the land on the other side of the Jordan River, especially around Jericho.” So the two men set out and came to the house of a prostitute named Rahab and stayed there that night.
Joshua 6:22
Meanwhile, Joshua said to the two spies, “Keep your promise. Go to the prostitute’s house and bring her out, along with all her family.”
2. Bring her out (Joshua 6:22)
Joshua 6:22
Meanwhile, Joshua said to the two spies, “Keep your promise. Go to the prostitute’s house and bring her out, along with all her family.”
3. Include all her family (Joshua 6:22)
Joshua 6:22
Meanwhile, Joshua said to the two spies, “Keep your promise. Go to the prostitute’s house and bring her out, along with all her family.”
4. Give them an alternative source of income or alternative business (Ezekiel 16:16, Ezekiel 23:3, Hosea 4:10)
Ezekiel 16:16
You used the lovely things I gave you to make shrines for idols, where you played the prostitute. Unbelievable! How could such a thing ever happen?
Ezekiel 23:3
They became prostitutes in Egypt. Even as young girls, they allowed men to fondle their breasts.
Hosea 4:10
They will eat and still be hungry.
They will play the prostitute and gain nothing from it,
for they have deserted the Lord
C. Motivation on reaching out to them:
1. They will get into the Kingdom of GOD (Matthew 21:31)
Matthew 21:31
31 “Which of the two obeyed his father?”
They replied, “The first.”
Then Jesus explained his meaning: “I tell you the truth, corrupt tax collectors and prostitutes will get into the Kingdom of God before you do.
- with or without our help, there is always someone out there used by GOD, better to be us or partake the blessings of soul winning
2. They can also be disciples of CHRIST.
a. the woman that can give much love. (Luke 7:36-50)
Luke 7:36-50
36 One of the Pharisees asked Jesus to have dinner with him, so Jesus went to his home and sat down to eat. 37 When a certain immoral woman from that city heard he was eating there, she brought a beautiful alabaster jar filled with expensive perfume.38 Then she knelt behind him at his feet, weeping. Her tears fell on his feet, and she wiped them off with her hair. Then she kept kissing his feet and putting perfume on them.
39 When the Pharisee who had invited him saw this, he said to himself, “If this man were a prophet, he would know what kind of woman is touching him. She’s a sinner!”
40 Then Jesus answered his thoughts. “Simon,” he said to the Pharisee, “I have something to say to you.”
“Go ahead, Teacher,” Simon replied.
41 Then Jesus told him this story: “A man loaned money to two people—500 pieces of silver to one and 50 pieces to the other.42 But neither of them could repay him, so he kindly forgave them both, canceling their debts. Who do you suppose loved him more after that?”
43 Simon answered, “I suppose the one for whom he canceled the larger debt.”
“That’s right,” Jesus said.44 Then he turned to the woman and said to Simon, “Look at this woman kneeling here. When I entered your home, you didn’t offer me water to wash the dust from my feet, but she has washed them with her tears and wiped them with her hair.45 You didn’t greet me with a kiss, but from the time I first came in, she has not stopped kissing my feet.46 You neglected the courtesy of olive oil to anoint my head, but she has anointed my feet with rare perfume.
47 “I tell you, her sins—and they are many—have been forgiven, so she has shown me much love. But a person who is forgiven little shows only little love.”48 Then Jesus said to the woman, “Your sins are forgiven.”
49 The men at the table said among themselves, “Who is this man, that he goes around forgiving sins?”
50 And Jesus said to the woman, “Your faith has saved you; go in peace.”
b. Mary Magdalene (Luke 8:2)
Luke 8:2
along with some women he had healed and from whom he had cast out evil spirits. Among them were Mary Magdalene, from whom he had cast out seven demons;
tradition says Mary Magdalene was a prositute
c. Rahab (Joshua 2:1) - became faithful to the spies sent out by Joshua though contrary to her characteristic as a prostitute.
Joshua 2:1
Then Joshua secretly sent out two spies from the Israelite camp at Acacia Grove. He instructed them, “Scout out the land on the other side of the Jordan River, especially around Jericho.” So the two men set out and came to the house of a prostitute named Rahab and stayed there that night.
3. No different than a sinner. (Romans 3:9-18)
Romans 3:9-18
9 Well then, should we conclude that we Jews are better than others? No, not at all, for we have already shown that all people, whether Jews or Gentiles, are under the power of sin.10 As the Scriptures say,
“No one is righteous—
not even one.
11 No one is truly wise;
no one is seeking God.
12 All have turned away;
all have become useless.
No one does good,
not a single one.”
13 “Their talk is foul, like the stench from an open grave.
Their tongues are filled with lies.”
“Snake venom drips from their lips.”
14 “Their mouths are full of cursing and bitterness.”
15 “They rush to commit murder.
16 Destruction and misery always follow them.
17 They don’t know where to find peace.”
18 “They have no fear of God at all.”
4. The LORD died for them. (Luke 19:10, Matthew 9:12-13, Luke 13:1-35, Luke 13:1-5)
Luke 19:10
10 For the Son of Man came to seek and save those who are lost.”
Matthew 9:12-13
12 When Jesus heard this, he said, “Healthy people don’t need a doctor—sick people do.”13 Then he added, “Now go and learn the meaning of this Scripture: ‘I want you to show mercy, not offer sacrifices.’ For I have come to call not those who think they are righteous, but those who know they are sinners.”
Luke 13:1-35:
Chapter 13
A Call to Repentance
1 About this time Jesus was informed that Pilate had murdered some people from Galilee as they were offering sacrifices at the Temple.2 “Do you think those Galileans were worse sinners than all the other people from Galilee?” Jesus asked. “Is that why they suffered?3 Not at all! And you will perish, too, unless you repent of your sins and turn to God.4 And what about the eighteen people who died when the tower in Siloam fell on them? Were they the worst sinners in Jerusalem?5 No, and I tell you again that unless you repent, you will perish, too.”
Parable of the Barren Fig Tree
6 Then Jesus told this story: “A man planted a fig tree in his garden and came again and again to see if there was any fruit on it, but he was always disappointed.7 Finally, he said to his gardener, ‘I’ve waited three years, and there hasn’t been a single fig! Cut it down. It’s just taking up space in the garden.’
8 “The gardener answered, ‘Sir, give it one more chance. Leave it another year, and I’ll give it special attention and plenty of fertilizer.9 If we get figs next year, fine. If not, then you can cut it down.’”
Jesus Heals on the Sabbath
10 One Sabbath day as Jesus was teaching in a synagogue,11 he saw a woman who had been crippled by an evil spirit. She had been bent double for eighteen years and was unable to stand up straight.12 When Jesus saw her, he called her over and said, “Dear woman, you are healed of your sickness!”13 Then he touched her, and instantly she could stand straight. How she praised God!
14 But the leader in charge of the synagogue was indignant that Jesus had healed her on the Sabbath day. “There are six days of the week for working,” he said to the crowd. “Come on those days to be healed, not on the Sabbath.”
15 But the Lord replied, “You hypocrites! Each of you works on the Sabbath day! Don’t you untie your ox or your donkey from its stall on the Sabbath and lead it out for water?16 This dear woman, a daughter of Abraham, has been held in bondage by Satan for eighteen years. Isn’t it right that she be released, even on the Sabbath?”
17 This shamed his enemies, but all the people rejoiced at the wonderful things he did.
Parable of the Mustard Seed
18 Then Jesus said, “What is the Kingdom of God like? How can I illustrate it?19 It is like a tiny mustard seed that a man planted in a garden; it grows and becomes a tree, and the birds make nests in its branches.”
Parable of the Yeast
20 He also asked, “What else is the Kingdom of God like?21 It is like the yeast a woman used in making bread. Even though she put only a little yeast in three measures of flour, it permeated every part of the dough.”
The Narrow Door
22 Jesus went through the towns and villages, teaching as he went, always pressing on toward Jerusalem.23 Someone asked him, “Lord, will only a few be saved?”
He replied,24 “Work hard to enter the narrow door to God’s Kingdom, for many will try to enter but will fail.25 When the master of the house has locked the door, it will be too late. You will stand outside knocking and pleading, ‘Lord, open the door for us!’ But he will reply, ‘I don’t know you or where you come from.’26 Then you will say, ‘But we ate and drank with you, and you taught in our streets.’27 And he will reply, ‘I tell you, I don’t know you or where you come from. Get away from me, all you who do evil.’
28 “There will be weeping and gnashing of teeth, for you will see Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, and all the prophets in the Kingdom of God, but you will be thrown out.29 And people will come from all over the world—from east and west, north and south—to take their places in the Kingdom of God.30 And note this: Some who seem least important now will be the greatest then, and some who are the greatest now will be least important then. ”
Jesus Grieves over Jerusalem
31 At that time some Pharisees said to him, “Get away from here if you want to live! Herod Antipas wants to kill you!”
32 Jesus replied, “Go tell that fox that I will keep on casting out demons and healing people today and tomorrow; and the third day I will accomplish my purpose.33 Yes, today, tomorrow, and the next day I must proceed on my way. For it wouldn’t do for a prophet of God to be killed except in Jerusalem!
34 “O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, the city that kills the prophets and stones God’s messengers! How often I have wanted to gather your children together as a hen protects her chicks beneath her wings, but you wouldn’t let me.35 And now, look, your house is abandoned. And you will never see me again until you say, ‘Blessings on the one who comes in the name of the Lord!’ ”
Luke 13:1-5
1 About this time Jesus was informed that Pilate had murdered some people from Galilee as they were offering sacrifices at the Temple.2 “Do you think those Galileans were worse sinners than all the other people from Galilee?” Jesus asked. “Is that why they suffered?3 Not at all! And you will perish, too, unless you repent of your sins and turn to God.4 And what about the eighteen people who died when the tower in Siloam fell on them? Were they the worst sinners in Jerusalem?5 No, and I tell you again that unless you repent, you will perish, too.”
IX. CONCLUSION:
Be part of His Ministry to the prostitutes by praying, ministering to them or by giving.
