The Master’s Plan For The Future | Matthew

Introduction:
In chapter 4:23-25 Matthew gave a summary of Christ’s ministry in Galilee. That summary told us that Jesus preached and performed signs. Matthew also told us of the hordes of people who came to Jesus for these things.
In chapters 5-7 he gave us an example of our Lord’s preaching — the sermon on the mount.
In chapters 8-9 we have examples of the signs that He performed — those signs pointing us to the biblical promises (the signposts) preparing for the Messiah.
As we come to the end of this, Matthew returns to a closing summary, but now there is something additional.
Along with a description of Christ’s ministry in Galilee, there is instruction about the future.
THE CROSS IS NO ACCIDENT.
THE CHURCH AGE IS NOT PLAN B.
Even as our Lord prepares to offer Himself in our stead, He is preparing the church for the future advancement of the application of what He would accomplish.
Indeed, in the next chapter we see the commissioning of the 12 apostles.
So that Matthew takes us from what Jesus is doing, to what His men will be doing.
He takes us from what Jesus is doing, to what Jesus is preparing His followers to do after He is gone (Matthew 10:17-42 deals with things to occur largely after Christ’s ascension).
In our verses tonight we will see three elements on display about our Master’s plan for the future.
• THE MASTER’S MODELING OF MINISTRY (vs.35)
Our Lord’s own ministry is again summarized. This is not divorced from what follows.
This is how our Lord trained His apostles.
The training of the apostles consisted of being with Jesus.
They heard Him teach.
They watched His life.
They witnessed His dealings with people.
They experienced His personal questions and corrections and affirmations.
They beheld the power of God at work and the clear demonstration of the sufficiency of the gospel of God.
The Master’s plan for the men who would lead the first generation of the church was that they would be prepared by 3 years of constant discipleship at His feet — constant time in His presence.
What did they see in our Lord’s ministry?
• DEVOTION TO THE NEED
The first thing we see in His example, and one of the most instructive, is the tireless and selfless way that He gave Himself to the spiritual needs of people.
Matthew tells us that He was traveling all over that area and intentionally devoting Himself to the spiritual and physical needs of a tremendous population.
Some have suggested that this represents a second circuit throughout Galilee, but there is no way to be certain of that. It could just as easily simply represent a restatement as a way of bracketing the section that began at the end of chapter 4.
In fact, as others have pointed out, there is really a chiastic structure on display. Christ calls disciples in 4:18-22, then a description of his ministry that follows, then a detailed description of each aspect of that ministry, then a summary that follows, then the calling of disciples.
What we do know is that these cities and villages likely represented MILLIONS of people. Some sources estimate around 3 million.
Josephus makes mention of 240 cities and villages.
JESUS PUTS FORTH EFFORT TO TEACH AND PREACH AND PERFORM SIGNS ALL OVER THAT REGION.
And as we have already seen, He no sooner leaves one scene of ministry that He meets with another.
APPLICATION:
If you give yourself to ministry rightly, this will be a battle that you face. IT CAN BE TIRING.
It can be emotionally tiring.
It can be physically tiring.
It can be mentally tiring.
The New Testament describes ministry in terms that indicate working to exhaustion.
1 Timothy 4:10 (ESV)
10 For to this end we toil and strive, because we have our hope set on the living God, who is the Savior of all people, especially of those who believe.