How to Live When Your Days Are Numbered | Matthew 21:1-22
Series: All!
Jesus has all authority,
So that all nations
Might pledge all allegiance to him.
Title: “How to live when your days are numbered?
Scripture: Matthew 21:1-22
Heavily indebted to Douglas Sean O’Donnell’s & David Platt’s commentaries for this message. (See below)
Bottom line: Jesus lived his last days well by remembering who he was and what he came to do.
DISCUSSION QUESTIONS
SERMON OUTLINE & NOTES
MAIN REFERENCES USED
DISCUSSION QUESTIONS
Discussion questions for group and personal study. Reflect and Discuss:
1. What attributes do you think your unbelieving neighbors and coworkers would use to describe Jesus?
2. In your opinion, which attributes of Christ mentioned in this chapter seem to be lacking in the church's picture of Christ today? What is the danger of having a distorted view of Christ's character?
3. How does the rich variety of Christ's attributes speak to His uniqueness?
4. In what sense is this section of Matthew "the beginning of the end"?
5. List the ways in which Jesus' authority is displayed in this chapter.
6. Which attributes mentioned in this chapter have been missing in your own view of Christ? Are there other Scriptures that speak to these attributes?
7. Respond to the following statement: "The Jesus of the New Testament is different from the angry God of the Old Testament."
8. Was it inconsistent with His compassion for Jesus to cleanse the temple the way He did? Why not?
9. How would you summarize Jesus point in verses 20-227
10. How will Christ's first and second comings be different?
Final Questions (optional or in place of above)
What is God saying to you right now?
What are you going to do about it?
Find our sermons, podcasts, discussion questions and notes at https://www.gracetoday.net/podcast
OUTLINE & NOTES
Introduction
Jesus is living out his last 8 days in front of us as we head to the end of the book of Matthew.
HOW DOES HE LIVE WHEN HE KNOWS HIS DAYS ARE NUMBERED?
Story/Illustration: Israel and the “Land bridge.” SEE MAPS AND GOOGLE EARTH
Bottom line: Jesus lived his last days well by remembering who he was and what he came to do.
Outline
Q. What do I want you to know?
A. (21:1-11): King Jesus came to Jerusalem as a one-of-a-kind king to show us that his unique way is the way to true life: The way of genuine, growing faith in his words, ways and works.
A. (21:12-17): King Jesus hates hypocrisy, prayerlessness and a lack of compassionate hospitality.
Q. Why do I want you to know?
A. (21:1-11): To show you that he’s worth following and surrendering our whole life to him.
A. (21:12-17): Because they are enemies of true fellowship with God for us and others.
Q. What do I want you to do?
A. (21:1-11): Follow King Jesus.
A. (21:12-17):
Stop fearing what other people think.
Stop doubting God wants to answer your prayers.
Stop shutting your doors to compassionate hospitality.
Stop pursuing the kingdom without the King. (the blessings w/o the Bless-or)
Q. Why do I want you to do this?
A. (21:1-11): Because he’s the best king ever and he’ll satisfy every hunger, thirst and need you’ll ever have including your need for forgiveness from your Creator.
A. (21:12-17): So that you’ll find fruitful living and freedom in Christ…love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, gentleness, faithfulness, and self-control…and forgiveness from your Creator. For us and others.
21:18-22: Jesus shows us the same thing through a withered fig tree.
He hates hypocrisy.
He is not pleased with unbelief. (Cf. Hebrews 11:6)
Conclusion
Compassionate Hospitality
A missionary to Africa told someone, “When we want to share the gospel in a village in Africa, we don't send them books. We send them a Christian family.”
Why is it better to send the family than some books? It’s certainly cheaper. Seems more efficient. But this experienced missionary understood that the Christian life lived like Jesus would demonstrate the love of God through serving others sacrificially—through compassionate hospitality. Therefore, the gospel wouldn’t just be taught but caught.
It’s not about putting God or our church experience into a compartment and then living the rest of our lives without a care for what Jesus did for us. (Hypocrisy; lack of faith) We live out a genuine relationship with our trustworthy creator-redeemer as we practice compassionate hospitality to those who are far from God but close to us (where we live, work and play)
Bottom line: Jesus lived his last days well by remembering who he was and what he came to do.
Application:
So, how DO we follow a king like Jesus Christ? We
See Christ as the unique King that he is and worship him.
Pursue Christ’s kingdom AND Christ himself as King.
To live for something that’s worth dying for
To love people who are living for something that’s worth dying for as seen in their sacrifice
Expose hypocrisy. Hypocrisy blows up hospitality.
Make his house (in us) a house of prayer and compassionate hospitality.
So how do we live when our days are numbered?
Remember who you are. Sons of God the Father and brothers of King Jesus.
Remember how your heavenly father taught you to live. To please God (Heb 11:6) and to “Live for the applause of nail-scarred hands” —Mark Batterson
Remember who matters most to your heavenly father. Fleshing out compassionate hospitality to the least, the last and the lost of our world as you make disciples of all nations.
Remember to expose hypocrisy. This undermines hospitality.
Remember to trust your heavenly father—trust and obey. To pray like we believe he wants to answer our Spirit-saturated prayers.
Perpetual Perpetuas
“In the first three centuries of the church, if Christians were known for anything it was their courageous faith. The accounts of the early Christian martyrs tell the stories of many followers of Jesus who demonstrated this courageous faith even unto death. One such martyr was Perpetua.
Perpetua was twenty-two years old. She was married and the mother of an infant boy whom she nursed from her jail cell. She was in prison for being a Christian. All she had to do was recant her belief in Jesus, offer a simple sacrifice to Caesar, and call him, "Lord." Her father begged her to do this, but she refused time and again. Finally, as she was led out into the Roman Colosseum to be killed by beast or gladiator, she was singing hymns to Jesus.
Can you imagine that kind of courage? Twenty-two years old! Her last words, spoken to her brother, also a Christian, were, "Stand in the faith."
Last words.
Last days.
How will you finish?
God has given us instructions on how to live out our days.
Our last days.
How to live out all our days as if they were our last days…because they are.
Let’s pray
NOTES
No other notes this week.
MAIN REFERENCES USED
“Preaching the Word” Commentary, Douglas Sean O’Donnell, Edited by Kent Hughes
“Matthew” by RC Sproul
“The Bible Knowledge Commentary” by Walvoord, Zuck (BKC)
“The Bible Exposition Commentary” by Warren Wiersbe (BEC)
“Exalting Jesus in Matthew” by David Platt (CCE)
Outline Bible, D Willmington
NIV Study Bible (NIVSB)
ESV Study Bible (ESVSB)