Make His Fame Spread

OT Lesson: 1 Chronicles 16:8-11, 23-36a (NIV)

Give praise to the Lord, proclaim His name;
make known among the nations what He has done.
Sing to Him, sing praise to Him;
tell of all His wonderful acts.
Glory in His holy name;
let the hearts of those who seek the Lord rejoice.
Look to the Lord and His strength;
seek His face always.

Sing to the Lord, all the earth;
proclaim His salvation day after day.
Declare His glory among the nations,
His marvellous deeds among all peoples.

For great is the Lord and most worthy of praise;
He is to be feared above all gods.
For all the gods of the nations are idols,
but the Lord made the heavens.
Splendour and majesty are before Him;
strength and joy are in His dwelling-place.

Ascribe to the Lord, all you families of nations,
ascribe to the Lord glory and strength.
Ascribe to the Lord the glory due to His name;
bring an offering and come before Him.
Worship the Lord in the splendour of His holiness.
Tremble before Him, all the earth!
The world is firmly established; it cannot be moved.

Let the heavens rejoice, let the earth be glad;
let them say among the nations, ‘The Lord reigns!’
Let the sea resound, and all that is in it;
let the fields be jubilant, and everything in them!
Let the trees of the forest sing,
let them sing for joy before the Lord,
for He comes to judge the earth.

Give thanks to the Lord, for He is good;
His love endures for ever.
Cry out, ‘Save us, God our Saviour;
gather us and deliver us from the nations,
that we may give thanks to Your holy name,
and glory in Your praise.’
Praise be to the Lord, the God of Israel,
from everlasting to everlasting.

NT Lesson: Matthew 4:23-25 (NRSV)

Jesus went throughout Galilee, teaching in their synagogues and proclaiming the good news of the kingdom and curing every disease and every sickness among the people. So his fame spread throughout all Syria, and they brought to him all the sick, those who were afflicted with various diseases and pains, demoniacs, epileptics, and paralytics, and he cured them. And great crowds followed him from Galilee, the Decapolis, Jerusalem, Judea, and from beyond the Jordan.

Sermon

Introduction

Good morning. As we find ourselves past the major celebrations in the church calendar, we enter a period without significant liturgical events until Advent. This stretch, from Pentecost to Advent, is known as the season of Pentecost, which happens to be the longest and, some might say, the boring period in the church year. While the word “boring” sounds boring, I believe it carries a certain beauty. To me, this season is one of my favourites precisely because “boring” can mean there is peace.

Consider the situation in places like Ukraine or Gaza, where daily life is far from boring, but it is filled with conflict, fear, and unrest. Bombs fall, missiles strike, and jet fighters roar through the skies. In such circumstances, the absence of boredom is a reminder of the absence of peace. Given the choice, I would always prefer a peaceful, albeit “boring,” life.

In my personal life, as many of you know, I have a five-year-old son. Raising a child comes with its challenges and blessings. One of the challenges is the cost—without a child, I might be driving a Mercedes by now! But the blessings far outweigh the costs. A child brings a lively energy to life, making it anything but boring. For instance, my son attends the Boys & Girls Club day camp and has recently taken to calling me “bro.” The conversation a few days ago was like this: “Hey bro, look at this.” “What did you say? Don’t call me bro.” “What’s the matter, bro?” “I said, do not call me bro.” “Hey, hey, hey, chill down, bro.”

If you find your life too boring, having another child is one way to shake things up! However, there is also immense value in embracing and enjoying the peace that comes with quieter times, especially in this lovely weather.

Recap the Gospel of Matthew

I was working through the Gospel of Matthew in the sermon series, but we took a break for significant Christian observances like Pentecost and Trinity Sunday. Today, we return to the Gospel of Matthew. Previously, in the Gospel of Matthew, Jesus moved from Nazareth to Capernaum and began His ministry. He also called His disciples to join Him in His mission, though not all twelve were called yet—just a few.

Today, we witness the actual ministry of Jesus. Let us explore what Jesus did. First, He went throughout Galilee. Jesus did not just sit down and wait for people to come to Him; He went to them. Similarly, we can also go out into our neighbourhoods and communities. Then Jesus taught and proclaimed the good news, meaning He preached. Therefore the very first thing Jesus did in His ministry was preaching, highlighting the importance of this act. Preaching holds a primary place in ministry.

John Calvin also placed significant emphasis on the importance and role of preaching. He believed that preaching was the primary means by which God communicates His will to His people. Calvin viewed preaching as essential to the church’s life and health and considered it the primary means through which God’s word is conveyed to the congregation. Thus John Calvin argued that the preaching is the centre and core of worship services. He also urged that the central theme of all preaching should be Jesus Christ because He is the central theme of all Scripture.

After preaching, Jesus cured every disease and every sickness among the people. Jesus performed acts of charity. However, it is crucial to understand that while charity is important, it is not the core of ministry. The true essence of ministry lies in teaching and proclaiming the good news. Acts of charity—such as healing, helping, and feeding—are secondary and support the primary ministry of spreading the Gospel.

Fame Spread

After this initial ministry, the Bible says, “His fame spread throughout all Syria.” As Jesus’ fame spread to other places, what happened? Those who were healed and who heard the gospel brought to Jesus all the sick, those afflicted with various diseases and pains, demoniacs, epileptics, and paralytics. Initially, Jesus went to the people, but now He did not have to because people came to Him. Not only did they come to Jesus, but they also brought others with them. This is precisely how we should act as well.

Let’s imagine this: One day, you are driving outside the city of Lebanon, and the low gas warning light on your car comes on. You find a gas station which you are not familiar with. With no other option, you stop at the gas station. I checked the gas price yesterday and it was $3.25 per gallon, but this station is selling it for just a dollar per gallon. It is very suspicious being too cheap, but again, with no other option, you fill your tank. Later back to town and back home, you discover that it was not just genuine gas but premium gas, and the price is a dollar per gallon year-round. If this were true, would you recommend that gas station to your family and friends or would you keep it in secret and only you would use it? I certainly would tell others about this gas station. I believe you all would as well because you are good people. And the fame of the gas station will spread throughout Lebanon.

This is how we should spread the gospel—by making His fame spread. I mentioned that I went to the Titus Bakery last Saturday, and the shop was packed with people inside and at the drive-through. Why? Because the fame of the Titus Bakery had spread throughout the town. How did the fame of the Titus Bakery spread? Those who ate the doughnuts went out and told their family and friends how delicious they were. It is that simple. So, how can we spread the fame of our church? It is just as simple: go out and tell people about the good things we do in this church.

Conservation of Reward

Then some of you may question this, and as you know, I always encourage questioning. Your question might be something like this: “Jesus said in Matthew 6, ‘Do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing so that your alms may be done in secret.’ So, aren’t we supposed to avoid bragging about what we are doing? Are you preaching against Jesus, preacher?”

That is an excellent question. First of all, I hope I am not preaching against Jesus. In Matthew 6, Jesus is talking about charity and good works on a personal level. If I proclaim my name, boast about what “I” did, and ascribe all the credits to myself, people will applaud me. This is where the problem lies. You may have heard of the law of conservation of mass. In a closed system, mass can be moved and transferred, but the total mass remains the same and cannot change. Similarly, I believe there is a law of conservation of reward in heaven. There is a set amount of total reward which we will receive for doing good works. If we get more reward here on earth, we will receive less reward in heaven. If we receive all the reward here, there will be none left in heaven because the total reward remains the same and cannot change.

On a personal level, it is better to hide our names so that we do not receive excessive praise and applause. This is what Jesus is teaching in Matthew 6: that we should do good things in secret on a personal level. However, today we are talking about the church level. When the fame of Jesus spread, others came to Him. Likewise, when the fame of our church spreads, people will come to this church.

Again, when the fame of Jesus spread throughout all of Syria, many people came. This initial fame led to more people coming, not only from Syria but also from Galilee, the Decapolis, Jerusalem, Judea, and beyond the Jordan river. This widespread attraction was only possible because of His fame.

Similarly, when we spread the good news of what our church is doing, more people will hear about us, and some of them may come, attracted by the love and good works they hear about. This is not about personal glory but about drawing people to Christ and His community through the collective witness of our church’s actions.

Proclaim the Lord’s Name

Today’s Old Testament lesson is a wonderful song sung by the choir appointed by King David when the ark of the covenant was brought to Jerusalem. This song urges us to tell of all God’s wonderful acts and to proclaim God’s great name to the world. In other words, it calls us to make His fame spread all over the world so that the world will hear and come to God.

Throughout the entire Bible, both Old and New Testaments, our job has been clear: to spread the fame of our God and of our church so that people can hear about us and come to us. This is a continuous call to action, reminding us of the importance of sharing God’s works and His glory with others.

Just as the song celebrates and proclaims God’s deeds, we are encouraged to share our experiences and the blessings we have received. By doing so, we make His fame known, drawing more people into His presence. Our mission is not just to enjoy the peace and blessings of our faith but to actively share them, ensuring that God’s name is honoured and recognised throughout the world.

Welcome

The Gospel of Matthew tells us that after Jesus’ fame spread, many people came to Him. These people included all the sick, those afflicted with various diseases and pains, demoniacs, epileptics, and paralytics. These individuals were the most unwelcome in their society, a society where hospitality was considered one of the most important virtues. They were often expelled from their towns and forced to live in caves like wild animals. Religious leaders such as priests, temple workers, Sadducees, and Pharisees all drove them away. But Jesus welcomed them. He allowed them to come and stay with Him and helped them in many ways. Jesus healed the sick, fed the hungry, loved the unlovable, and welcomed the unwelcome. Similarly, we should also welcome those who come to our church just as Jesus did.

However, welcoming is not always easy. Every church claims to welcome all, but for many, this is just an empty claim. Let me share a story about a friend of mine who is African American. He moved to a new city a decade or two ago and went to the nearest church on his first Sunday. There he was met by an usher who told him, “Welcome. But just for your information, you may want to go to a black church two blocks down there.” This church claimed to welcome all but essentially said, “We welcome all but not you because you are black.”

Since June is Pride Month, there are some churches that similarly say, “We welcome all but not you because you are a gay.” We may have different opinions about homosexuality, and I am not trying to change your minds, but regardless of our views, we need to welcome people when they come. I know a lady who was badly abused by her husband for more than a decade. She finally divorced him, and her church kicked her out because of the divorce, but not her husband. This church also claimed to welcome all but in reality said, “We welcome all but not you because you divorced.”

Many churches have conditional welcomes, each with different conditions. I once saw someone say to visitors, “That’s my seat.” So they were kind of saying, “We welcome all but not you because you took my pew.” There are so many different reasons not to welcome and so many different conditions to exclude certain people. Loving the lovable is easy. Welcoming good people is easy. Jesus pointed this out when He told us to love our enemies: “If you love those who love you, what reward do you have? Do not even the tax-collectors do the same? And if you greet only your brothers and sisters, what more are you doing than others? Do not even the Gentiles do the same?” If we only do what is easy, what difference do we make as Christians?

Loving the unlovable is more difficult than we might think. Welcoming the unwelcome is much harder than we might guess. We may not be perfect, just like some other churches, but we must strive to follow in the footsteps of Jesus Christ our Saviour. Jesus did not make empty claims. He actually welcomed all kinds of people: the sick, the dirty, the disgusting, those unable to welcome or love. We must strive to follow the footsteps of Jesus Christ our Saviour and truly welcome all, just as He did.

Conclusion

Friends, at the beginning of His ministry, Jesus preached the gospel, made His fame spread, and welcomed all. Let us follow His example. Let us prepare ourselves to welcome everyone—not just selective few, but all, and not just in words, but in our actions. And above all, let us spread the fame of Jesus Christ in our town. Let us proclaim the great name of our God in this neighbourhood. Let us share with others about our church so that they may hear about us and come, and so that we may welcome them.

After all, Jesus commanded us to do the same: “Let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father in heaven.” Amen.