Get Going – Week 4:
Faith That Shares Good News
Matthew 9:9–13 (NLT)
Theme: Faith that sees Jesus naturally shares Jesus—our calling is to take the hope we’ve found and bring it to the people in our everyday lives.
INTRODUCTION — “We Share What We Love”
You ever notice how easy it is for us to talk about something we’re excited about?
It’s automatic.
Somebody in town gets a new truck and suddenly every guy in town has an opinion on torque ratios and lift kits. Someone tries a new coffee drink, and they’ll tell you exactly how to steam it to 145°—don’t worry, I’m guilty of that one. One of the kids comes home from school and says, ‘Daddy, you HAVE to see this… 6/7!’ before I even put my things down. And if you don’t know what ‘6/7’ means — don’t worry, neither do I — but apparently it’s the coolest thing you can say in elementary school right now.
We share what grabs our attention.
We share what moves us.
We share what helps us.
We share good news by instinct.
But when it comes to sharing the good news?
When it comes to sharing Jesus?
Suddenly we hesitate.
We freeze.
We get quiet.
And yet — Matthew shows us something completely different.
Today we’re in Matthew 9:9–13, and we’re going to see a man who met Jesus, fell in love with Jesus, and immediately shared Jesus… because that’s what faith does.
Faith that is alive does not stay silent.
Faith that is growing does not stay hidden.
Faith that is genuine—shares the news.
Scripture — Matthew 9:9–13 (NLT)
1) Faith Responds To Jesus’ Call Immediately
“Follow me…” and Matthew got up and followed.
That’s it.
No debate.
No negotiating his salary.
No “Jesus, let me finish out this tax season.”
No “Let me think about it.”
Matthew just goes.
Most scholars believe Matthew already knew about Jesus.
The miracles were being talked about.
People knew this rabbi wasn’t like the others.
But Matthew wasn’t waiting for a perfect moment.
Jesus called — and he moved.
Modern Illustration — When the phone rings at work
As a crisis clinician, I know this feeling: I don’t get to pick the perfect moment. When that phone rings, when that alert hits, I move into action. Immediate obedience matters because lives are on the line.
Shoe Lost
You ever have one of those moments where you don’t even get time to think — you just react?
We were out walking on a trail one day after a stretch of rain. And you know how Alaska trails get — on top it looks perfectly fine, but underneath it’s basically chocolate pudding that wants to eat your footwear.
One of the kids steps onto this innocent-looking spot… and instantly I hear that suction sound.
That sluuuuurp
that tells you the mud just claimed a shoe.
And before they even knew what happened, they walked right out of their shoe.
One foot kept going…
the other stayed behind, completely swallowed by the trail.
Now they’re stuck there in the middle of the woods —
standing like a panicked flamingo,
one shoe on, one sock sinking deeper,
arms flailing…
…and they turn around with this dramatic look on their face —
the exact look that says:
“Daddy… tell Mama I love her…”
Then they yell,
“DADDY! HELP! I’M STUCK!”
And listen — I didn’t pause to analyze anything. I didn’t check the mud depth or try to strategize like I was on an episode of Mud Rescue 101.
I didn’t say, “Give me a minute.”
No — I reacted instantly.
I rushed over, grabbed them under the arms, and tried to pull them free like I was rescuing them from quicksand. We’re sliding, slipping, getting muddy — but we got the kid free, and we even saved the shoe from certain doom.
And here’s the point:
Sometimes you don’t think. You just move.
Because the moment demands it.
That’s Matthew.
Jesus walks up to him and says,
“Follow Me.”
And Matthew doesn’t hesitate, negotiate, evaluate, or delay.
He just gets up and goes.
Immediate.
Instinctive.
Decisive.
Because when Jesus calls —faith doesn’t freeze. Faith moves.
Matthew responds because spiritually, lives were on the line — including his.
Application
Let me ask you:
How quickly do you obey Jesus when He nudges you?
Not the big dramatic stuff.
I’m talking about the small promptings:
• “Send that text.”
• “Pray with them right now.”
• “Invite them to church.”
• “Share your story.”
• “Pick up the phone.”
• “Stop by their house.”
Faith that shares the news… starts with faith that obeys the call.
2) Faith Brings Jesus Into Our Real World
“Matthew invited Jesus and His disciples to his home…” (v. 10)
I love this part.
Matthew doesn’t invite Jesus to a synagogue.
He doesn’t sign Jesus up for a religious retreat.
He doesn’t wait until his house is clean or his life is together.
What does he do?
He brings Jesus into the most natural space he has — his home.
And he invites all his friends.
Tax collectors.
Sinners.
The kind of people the religious crowd avoided.
Matthew isn’t ashamed.
He doesn’t compartmentalize his life:
• church life
• friend life
• work life
• private life
No.
Matthew didn’t keep Jesus in his religious box — he brought Him into his real life with real friends.
Matthew blends all the worlds together.
Modern Illustration — life in small-town Alaska
This reminds me of living here in Tok— we don’t have the luxury of separate worlds. You’re going to run into the same people at the grocery store, school events, youth sports, the gas pump, date night and the post office.
A few years back, I have taken Bev out on a daddy daughter date. To present her with her promised ring that she had asked for. And as you know, the one and only place for us to go here in Tok is at Fast Eddies, where she happened to work at the same time. She was super excited to dress up and go out on this evening with me, But she was mortified when we walked into Eddie's, both of us dressed up, and there were her coworkers, smiling and whispering and wondering what exactly was going on.
You can’t hide who you are.
You can’t pretend to be two different people.
Matthew embraced that —
and he said, “If Jesus is changing me, I want Him to meet my people.”
That’s evangelism — not pressure, just invitation.
Application
Who are your people?
• coworkers
• hunting buddies
• neighbors
• that friend who’s gone quiet
• family who knows your past
• the guy who always sits at the same table in Fast Eddy’s
• the mom you always run into at the store
Here’s the truth:
God placed you in their lives ON PURPOSE.
Not accidentally.
Not randomly.
Not coincidentally.
Colossians 4:5-6 says, “Live wisely among those who are not believers, and make the most of every opportunity. Let your conversation be gracious and attractive so that you will have the right response for everyone.”
Faith that shares the good news invites Jesus into the relationships you already have.
3) Faith Sees People Through Jesus’ Eyes
“Healthy people don’t need a doctor — sick people do.” (v. 12)
The Pharisees didn’t like who Jesus ate with.
They didn’t like messy people.
They didn’t like complicated stories.
But Jesus wasn’t worried about protecting His reputation —
He was focused on people’s restoration.
He says:
“I want mercy, not religion.”
Meaning:
“I want transformed hearts, not perfect behavior.”
Illustration — Counseling and brokenness
In my counseling office, I don’t say,
“Well, come back when you’ve fixed yourself.”
That completely defeats the purpose!
I meet people where they are —not where they should be.
Jesus does the same.
And when we see people through Jesus’ eyes,
we stop asking,
“Why are they like that?” and start asking,
“How can Jesus heal them?”
Second Illustration:
One time, one of the kids came up to me in the living room holding a toy in both hands, and this thing was barely recognizable. A wheel missing, a piece cracked, paint scraped off—it looked like it had survived a small natural disaster. And they said, “Daddy, can you fix it?”
What’s interesting is they weren’t embarrassed. They weren’t trying to hide it. They weren’t afraid I’d judge them for breaking it. Why? Because they knew something. They knew Daddy fixes things. They knew I wasn’t going to shame them or throw it away—I was going to sit down, get the little tools out, and start putting it back together.
And while I was fixing it, I had this thought: kids never confuse the one who repairs with the one who condemns. They just bring broken things to the person they trust.
That’s how Jesus sees people. The Pharisees looked at “sinners” and saw problems, risks, and reasons to avoid. But Jesus saw people worth restoring. He said, “I didn’t come for the healthy—I came for the sick.” He didn’t see trash; He saw treasure. He didn’t see a mess; He saw someone He could mend.
The question isn’t whether we notice people’s brokenness—we all see it. The real question is whether we see them like Jesus does: worth saving, worth healing, worth sitting down to restore.
Application
Every one of us has people in our world who only Jesus can heal:
• broken marriages
• addictions
• bitterness
• loneliness
• depression
• anxiety
• shame
• spiritual apathy
• identity crisis
• guilt from the past
Sharing Jesus isn’t about arguing theology.
It’s not about being the most spiritual person in the room.
It’s about saying:
“I know the Doctor. I know the Healer. I know the One who made me whole — and He can do the same for you.”
And that’s exactly what Jesus modeled. Matthew says just a few verses later that:
Read Matthew 9:35-36
Jesus didn’t see people as arguments to win; He saw them as hearts to heal. And then He turns to His disciples and says,
Read Matthew 37-38
In other words, “Do you see what I see? Do you see people’s pain the way I do?” When we see people with the compassion of Jesus, sharing the good news stops being a task and becomes a calling. We don’t share because we have to—we share because people are hurting, and we know the One who can make them whole. And when we start seeing what Jesus sees, sharing the good news becomes the most natural response in the world.
4) Faith That Sees Jesus Naturally Shares Jesus
This is the heart of Matthew’s story.
He met Jesus.
He followed Jesus.
He brought Jesus into his relationships.
And then — he shared the news.
Sharing Jesus wasn’t forced.
It wasn’t awkward.
It wasn’t scripted.
It was natural.
Because when something changes your life —
you talk about it.
When Jesus forgives you —
you share that.
When Jesus gives you peace —
you share that.
When Jesus strengthens your marriage —
you share that.
When Jesus lifts shame off your shoulders —
you share that.
Illustration —Iris learns something new
We've been working on potty training Iris. And we finally gotten through some of the earlier fears that she had, and last week, right before her shower, before bedtime, she sat on her Minnie Mouse potty… And she went stinky for the very first time on the potty.
When Something like that happens, you don’t sit quietly.
You tell others. I was yelling down the hall, “Mama, come quick, see what your girl has done. She has gone stinky on the potty. Bring the gummy bears.
She texted Monica letting her know what Iris had done.
She made a video with Iris to send to her family.
We celebrated!
The same is true spiritually.
When Jesus does something in us… it’s meant to be shared.
Bible Illustration
Peter and John had just healed a man who had been crippled for over forty years—everybody in Jerusalem knew this guy. And the miracle caused such a stir that the religious leaders couldn’t ignore it. So, they have Peter and John arrested and dragged before the Sanhedrin—the highest court in Israel at the time.
The leaders are frustrated, confused, and honestly a little threatened. They want to know, “By what power, or in whose name, did you do this?” And Peter—filled with the Holy Spirit—doesn’t back down at all. He tells them plainly, “This man was healed by the powerful name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth—the same Jesus you crucified, and the same Jesus God raised from the dead.” Then Peter quotes Scripture and says Jesus is the cornerstone—the One you rejected, but the only One who can save.
So, Peter and John are standing in front of the most powerful religious leaders in their nation, boldly declaring that Jesus is alive, Jesus is Lord, and Jesus is the only way.
And after hearing all of that—the boldness, the clarity, the confidence—here’s how the religious leaders respond.
Read Acts 4:13-22, then reread verse 20
Even after being threatened by the Religious Counsil. Of severe punishment. Peter and John replied that they cannot stop talking about everything that Jesus has done for them. And that's the same way that we should be. We should be overflowing with the desire to share the good news of what Jesus has done in our lives.
HOW DO WE SHARE THE NEWS?
Not complicated.
Not weird.
Not scripted.
Just simple, personal, relational faithfulness.
Here are three practical ways:
1. Share you.
Not a sermon.
Not a theological argument.
Just:
• “Here’s what Jesus did for me.”
• “Here’s how He met me.”
• “Here’s why I follow Him.”
People can argue with a doctrine — but they can’t argue with your story.
Your story may be the hope someone else needs.
2. Invite people into your world.
Coffee.
Dinner.
A conversation.
A drive to town.
A walk.
An hour in your living room.
A seat next to you on Sunday.
Matthew didn’t preach a sermon.
He just opened his door.
3. Point people to the Healer, not to religion.
I had someone tell me this week, they want to know Jesus, not be part of organized religion.
You don’t have to explain everything.
Just point people to Jesus.
Let Him do the healing.
Let Him do the changing.
Let Him do the saving.
Faith that shares the news isn’t about pressure.
It’s about partnership.
CLOSING — WHAT IF MATTHEW SAID NO?
Think about that.
What if Matthew said,
“Not now, Jesus. I’m busy.”
or
“I’m not the religious type.”
or
“My friends won’t approve.”
We would not have the Gospel of Matthew.
We would not have one of the clearest presentations of Jesus as King.
We would not have the Sermon on the Mount in its recorded form.
A single “yes” changed the world.
Your yes can change someone’s world.
CALL TO RESPONSE
Maybe today you need to say:
“Jesus, help me obey You immediately.”
or
“Jesus, help me see people the way You do.”
or
“Jesus, open my eyes to who You’re calling me to reach.”
Because heaven is full of people who got invited by someone just like you.
ALTAR MOMENT (spoken transition)
“Church… who is the one?
Who is your Matthew?
Who is the person Jesus is asking you to pray for, invite, reach out to, call, text, encourage?”
“Faith that shares the good news begins with one step.
One phone call.
One conversation.
One act of obedience.”
Let’s take a moment.
Let’s bring their names before the Lord.
And let’s ask Jesus to give us His heart —
a heart that shares the news.
As we close, I encourage you to pray for that person that God is placing on your heart right now! Maybe even get up and come to the altar, kneel and cry out for them. Remember your job is not to convince them, your job is to point the way to Jesus!
So, this morning pray for that person, that they would be ready to listen to what God has for them!
Benediction
May the Lord bless you and keep you.
May the Lord smile on you and be gracious to you.
May the Lord show you His favor and give you His peace.
And as you go this week,
may you walk in the strength of the Holy Spirit,
may you carry the hope of Jesus everywhere your feet take you,
and may you courageously share the news
with the people God puts in your path.
Church, you are sent —
to your homes, your workplaces, your friendships, and this community —
to invite the people you know
to meet the Jesus you know.
In the name of the Father,
the Son,
and the Holy Spirit…
Amen.
**Pastors if you are using my message, drop a comment. I would love to pray for you and your church as you are preaching it.
