Preaching through the Gospel of Matthew

I just flipped through the book of Matthew again this evening, and I can admit to being intimidated. As much as I am looking forward to preaching the wonderful variety of texts that have to do with the life and teaching of Jesus, there will be a lot of challenging weeks of sermon preparation that lie ahead. Hopefully, there will be a lot of challenging weeks of sermon listening-- because of the text, not the inadequate preacher.

Here's my plan below. The numbers in parenthesis indicate the chapter of Matthew from which the sermon will be taken. This schedule may need to be modified as we go along, and if you read through Matthew, you will probably see that I am not giving attention to every paragraph, though we will read every word aloud over the course of the nearly seventeen months that it will take to do this series, including weeks for other speakers and special events. If we were to preach every section equally, it would take far more than 58 sermons.

We will be starting in 2008 with Advent (that's this coming Sunday), running through 2009, ending April 2010, just after Easter.

Preaching Plan for Matthew

1. Geneology (1) [First Sunday of Advent, 2008]
2. Joseph’s dream (1) [Second Sunday of Advent, 2008]
3. Wise Men (2) [Third Sunday of Advent, 2008]
4. Herod’s Attack on the Messiah (2) [Fourth Sunday of Advent, 2008]
5. John’s Baptism and Jesus’ Baptism (3)
6. Temptation in the Wilderness (4)
7. Beginning of Jesus’ Ministry (4)
8. Beatitudes (5)
9. Witness: Salt & Light (5)
10. Passions: Anger & Lust (5)
11. Promises: Divorce & Oaths (5, 19)
12. Relationships: Retaliation & Love Your Enemies (5)
13. Good Religion: Giving, Praying, Fasting (6)
14. Possessions: Lay Up Treasures & Don’t Worry (6)
15. Judging (7)
16. Asking & Receiving (6, 7)
17. True and False Disciples (7)
18. Jesus’ Healing Ministry (8)
19. Jesus’ Power over the Natural and Supernatural Realms (8)
20. Jesus Came for Sinners (9)
21. Healed through Faith (9)
22. Laborers for the Harvest (9-10)
23. Persecution for the Followers of Christ (10)
24. John’s Question (11)
25. An Easy Yoke (11)
26. Lord of the Sabbath (12)
27. Blasphemy (12)
28. An Evil Generation (12)
29. Parable of the Sower (13)
30. Parables: The Weeds & The Net (13)
31. Parables: Buried Treasure & Priceless Pearl (13)
32. Feeding the Crowds (14, 15)
33. Walking on Water (14)
34. Blind Guides (15)
35. Peter’s Confession (16)
36. Jesus’ Cross and Ours (16)
37. Transfiguration (17)
38. Dealing with Sin (18)
39. Conflict: Reconciliation and Forgiveness (18)
40. Rich Young Man (19)
41. Laborers in the Vineyard (20)
42. The Greatest (18, 20)
43. Triumphal Entry & Temple Cleansing (21)
44. Parables: Two Sons & Tenants (21)
45. Parable of the Wedding Feast (22)
46. Jesus Answers His Challengers (22)
47. Woe to the Scribes and Pharisees (23)
48. Tribulation (24)
49. His Coming (24)
50. Parables: Virgins & Talents (25)
51. Final Judgment (25)
52. Worship, Betrayal, and Denial (26)
53. Passover & Last Supper (26)
54. Gethsemane, Arrest, and Trial (26)
55. Before Pilate (27)
56. Crucifixion (27) [Good Friday, 2010]
57. Resurrection (27, 28) [Easter, 2010]
58. Commission (28)