The Gospel of Matthew
Follow Me and Be My Disciple
1. The Apostles Creed
I believe in the Holy Spirit,
the holy catholic* church,
the communion of saints,
the forgiveness of sins,
the resurrection of the body,
and the life everlasting. Amen.
Matthew 26:28 (NLT)
28 for this is my blood, which confirms the covenant between God and his people. It is poured out as a sacrifice to forgive the sins of many.
Luke 23:34 (NLT)
34 Jesus said, “Father, forgive them, for they don’t know what they are doing.” And the soldiers gambled for his clothes by throwing dice.
Luke 24:45–47 (NLT)
45 Then he opened their minds to understand the Scriptures. 46 And he said, “Yes, it was written long ago that the Messiah would suffer and die and rise from the dead on the third day. 47 It was also written that this message would be proclaimed in the authority of his name to all the nations, beginning in Jerusalem: ‘There is forgiveness of sins for all who
2. Matthew Accepted Christ’s Call
Mark 2:13 (NLT)
13 Then Jesus went out to the lakeshore again and
taught the crowds that were coming to him.
Matthew 9:9 (NLT)
9 As Jesus was walking along, he saw a man named Matthew sitting at his tax collector’s booth. “Follow me and be my disciple,” Jesus said to him. So Matthew got up and followed him.
Jesus call is sovereign.
Sovereignty of God in Christianity can be defined as the right of God to exercise his ruling power over his creation.
Sovereignty can include also the way God exercises his ruling power.
2 Corinthians 4:6 (NLT)
6 For God, who said, “Let there be light in the darkness,” has made this light shine in our hearts so we could know the glory of God that is seen in the face of Jesus Christ.
2 Timothy 1:9 (NLT)
9 For God saved us and called us to live a holy life. He did this, not because we deserved it, but because that was his plan from before the beginning of time—to show us his grace through Christ Jesus.
“I am bold to say, that the work of God in the conversion on one soul…is a more glorious work of God than the creation of the whole material world."
Jonathan Edwards
Our disinterest in Christ does not equate to Christ’s disinterest in us.
We should not give up on people whose lives seem far from Christ.
“I came not to call the righteous, but sinners.”
3. The Tax Collectors Postponed Christ’s Call
10 Later, Matthew invited Jesus and his disciples to his home as dinner guests,
along with many TAX COLLECTORS and other disreputable sinners.
Mark 2:15 (NLT)
15 Later, Levi invited Jesus and his disciples to his home as dinner guests,
along with many tax collectors and other disreputable sinners.
(There were many people of this kind among Jesus’ followers.)
"Some want to live within the
sound of Church or Chapel bell;
I want to run a rescue shop within a yard of hell”
CT Studd
Christ is close to those who know they are far from him
1 Timothy 1:15 (NLT)
15 This is a trustworthy saying, and everyone should accept it:
“Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners”—and I am the worst of them all.
4. The Pharisees Rejected Christ’s Call
11 But when the PHARISEES saw this, they asked his disciples,
“Why does your teacher eat with such scum?”
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.”
