Bible Memory--Matthew

Goshen Baptist Church -- 2022-2023

“I have stored up your word in my heart, that I might not sin against you” (Psalm 119:11).

As we walk with Jesus together during the sermon series on the Gospel according to Matthew, you are encouraged and challenged to memorize a verse from each chapter as the series unfolds:

• “[Mary] will bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins” (Matthew 1:21).
• “Where is he who has been born king of the Jews?  For we saw his star when it rose and have come to worship him” (Matthew 2:2).
• “And when Jesus was baptized, immediately he went up from the water, and behold, the heavens were opened to him, and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and coming to rest on him” (Matthew 3:16).
• “And he went throughout all Galilee, teaching in their synagogues and proclaiming the gospel of the kingdom and healing every disease and every affliction among the people” (Matthew 4:23).
• “In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven” (Matthew 5:16).
• “No one can serve two masters, for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and money” (Matthew 6:24).
• “So whatever you wish that others would do to you, do also to them, for this is the Law and the Prophets” (Matthew 7:12).
• “And the men marveled, saying, ‘What sort of man is this, that even winds and sea obey him?’” (8:27).
• “When he saw the crowds, he had compassion for them, because they were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd” (9:36).
• “Behold, I am sending you out as sheep in the midst of wolves, so be wise as serpents and innocent as doves” (10:16).
• “Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest” (11:28).
• “Either make the tree good and its fruit good, or make the tree bad and its fruit bad, for the tree is known by its fruit” (12:33).
• “The kingdom of heaven is like treasure hidden in a field, which a man found and covered up. Then in his joy he goes and sells all that he has and buys that field” (13:44).
• “Then he ordered the crowds to sit down on the grass, and taking the five loaves and the two fish, he looked up to heaven and said a blessing. Then he broke the loaves and gave them to the disciples, and the disciples gave them to the crowds” (14:19).
• “It is not what goes into the mouth that defiles a person, but what comes out of the mouth; this defiles a person” (15:11).
• “From that time Jesus began to show his disciples that he must go to Jerusalem and suffer many things from the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be killed, and on the third day be raised” (16:21).
• “He was still speaking when, behold, a bright cloud over­shadowed them, and a voice from the cloud said, ‘This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased; listen to him’” (17:5).
• “Truly, I say to you, unless you turn and become like children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven” (18:3).
• “But Jesus looked at them and said, ‘With man this is impossi­ble, but with God all things are possible’” (Matthew 19:26).
• “The Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many” (Matthew 20:28).
• “And the crowds that went before him and that followed him were shouting, ‘Hosanna to the Son of David! Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord! Hosanna in the highest!’” (Matthew 21:9).
• “Therefore render to Caesar the things that are Caesar’s, and to God the things that are God’s” (Matthew 22:21).
• “Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you are like whitewashed tombs, which outwardly appear beautiful, but within are full of dead people's bones and all uncleanness” (Matthew 23:27).
• “And this gospel of the kingdom will be proclaimed through­out the whole world as a testimony to all nations, and then the end will come” (Matthew 24:14).
• “And the King will answer them, ‘Truly, I say to you, as you did it to one of the least of these my brothers, you did it to me’” (Matthew 25:40).
• “Watch and pray that you may not enter into temptation. The spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak” (Matthew 26:41).
• “When the centurion and those who were with him, keeping watch over Jesus, saw the earthquake and what took place, they were filled with awe and said, ‘Truly this was the Son of God!’” (Matthew 27:54).
• “And Jesus came and said to them, ‘All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you.  And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age’” (Matthew 28:18-20).

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Bible memorization is the crock-pot approach:  slow cooking, takes time, and yet ever so gradually the flavors emerge.  It may all seem so very basic at first—but as the months roll by, be on the lookout for how God will enrich your heart through the soul food of Scripture.

Some suppose there’s no need to memorize Scripture since we have the internet.  But it’s just the opposite, as Jon Bloom notes (in his article, “Ten Reasons to Memorize Big Chunks of the Bible”):  “Unfortunately, the Internet is teaching us how not to read.  We are becoming information scanners, quickly browsing but not digesting very much.  We are losing patience for deeper, more reflective reading.  Memorizing longer passages of Scripture forces us to reflect deeply on meaning and application.”

Further, memorizing Scripture isn’t’ just for tomorrow (like that squirrel storing away acorns for the winter).  As David Matthis contends, “Bible memory not only prepares us for the someday-maybes when we might use a memorized verse in counseling or witnessing or fighting sin, but it contributes powerfully in the present to making us the kind of person who walks in the Spirit today” (Habits of Grace, p. 68, note free PDF). You need Bible memory now.

Also, we memorize for the benefit of others.  In the days or years ahead, loved ones around you will suffer.  Lodging God’s truth in your heart will help you remember what way’s up amid the storm, and it will also equip you to serve those who languish in doubt or fear.  We don’t love well unless we see life through Bible lenses!

Here are a few additional resources to help and encourage you as you step into Bible memory:

• Let God's Word Dwell in You Richly This Year
• Practical Tips for Bible Memory
• Bible Memory as Ministry to Others
• Scripture Memory Is Not a Chore
• Bible Memory Brings Reality to Life
• Five Tips for Bible Memory
• Ten Gospel Verses to Keep Warm
• Ten Passage for Pastors to Memorize Cold
• From Desiring God:  Resources for Bible Memory
• From the Navigators:  How to Memorize Scripture