Preparing for the Lord's Day
In our text this Sunday, which comes from Matthew 9:35-38, we are given a snapshot of Jesus’ heart for people, and we see that his heart is big. It’s spacious. And as his disciples, as his followers, we are to have his same heart for people. We are to see people the way he saw them and to relate to them as he related to them. And yet that’s harder than it sounds. It’s hard because we can be pretty judgmental. Just a couple of chapters earlier in Matthew 7, Jesus pointed that out in his disciples when he said, “You’re skilled at detecting the sins of others, but you’re are often oblivious to your own.” That same indictment could be levied against us too. We tend to be well-versed in spotting the sins of others, but not as good at seeing our own. And a judgmental heart does not move toward people. It moves away from them. Yet Jesus moved toward people who were lost, who were trapped, who were held captive by their sin. Our text not only shows that, but our lives reflect that. We were once lost, but Jesus found us. We were once trapped, held captive by sin, but He set us free, and he would have us join in his mission to do the same for those around us. Are you ready for that? If you’re like me, then your answer is probably, “I know I should be or I want to be, but I think I need help getting ready.” And this is where Jesus would have us start, and what he'll show us is that we need to develop a compassionate, connected and cooperative heart in order to have a heart like his. To prepare for our time in the Word, I would encourage you to not only read our sermon text, Matthew 9:35-38, but also 2 Corinthians 4:1-6, Luke 4:16-21, and John 10:11-15.
As we seek to worship our great God in spirit and in truth, we will be guided by the hymns: "Great Is Thy Faithfulness," "How Deep the Father's Love for Us', and Come, Ye Thankful People, Come. Additionally, we have the joyful privilege of welcoming new members into our fellowship as well as administering the sacrament of baptism, which is always very exciting. Finally, we'll welcome our missionary, Migeul Lopez, as he shares about his ministry in Papua. I do hope to see you this Lord's Day.
Sermon Information
Text: Matthew 9:35-38
Title: A Heart Like His
Outline:
1. We must develop a compassionate heart. (v. 36)
2. We must develop a connected heart. (v. 35)
3. We must develop a cooperative heart. (vv. 37-38)