Sermons on Matthew (Page 5)
Four Prayer Requests | Ephesians 3:14-21
Let’s start by reviewing the big picture of the book of Ephesians. Chapters 1-3 How God is gracious to us Chapters 4-6 How we are to live-out grace The first three chapters, chapters 1-3, don’t include many imperatives, or commands. They don’t tell us how to live as much as they tell us what God has done for us. The next three chapters, chapters 4-6, tell us how to respond to grace and are full of imperatives and commands. Grace…
The Certain Gospel: How To Survive The End Of The World | Luke 21:5-38
What’s your worst fear when you’re a child? Quicksand. There’s nothing like quicksand to strike fear in the heart of a child. I can’t wait to tell Elijah about quicksand. This week I came across a wonderful game published in 2001 called The Worst-Case Scenario Survival Game. It teaches you how to survive bad things that can happen. So I thought, let’s play a little game today. Let’s see how well you would do surviving some worst-case scenarios. I thought…
The Certain Gospel: Divorce & Remarriage | Luke 16:18
I think I’m a bit naive. When I chose preaching on divorce and remarriage this week I thought it would be an easy sermon. I mean I’m preaching on one verse, right? How hard can it be? Don’t the majority of pastors and scholars agree about what the Bible has to say on divorce and remarriage? No they do not. The more I studied this topic the more I realized I don’t know, but I’m still going to try and…
Discipleship 101: Counter-Cultural Disciples | Philippians 1:27-30 (Tim Tebow vs. Colin Kaepernick)
What word would you use to describe our world right now? Chaotic? Angry? A mess? It seems like every week there’s a new story covering the strife in Washington and filling our globe. North Korea. Russia. Healthcare. The President. NFL. It seems like no matter the topic, our world is bitterly divided. But the great news is that Christians are in agreement! We are unified. We are at peace. We offer a safe-haven to those who want to get away…
What We Believe: Hell | Matthew 25:31-46
What happens when you die? In 2005, a group of theologians tried to answer this question. This group, self-titled Modest Mouse, wrote down what they believed in an album called Good News for People Who Love Bad News. In their hit single “Float On” they sang this… And we’ll all float on OK (x3) And we’ll all float on alright Already we’ll all float on Now don’t you worry we’ll all float on alright Already we’ll all float on alright…
What We Believe: The Church | Matthew 16:18
What is the church? Have you ever asked that question. I want you to imagine two college friends getting lunch together, Matt and Ben. In college, they both volunteered in Intervaristy, a Christian ministry to students, so they’ve always known each other as strong Christian friends. Now, five years later, they’re sitting outside on the deck of a small café, Matt prays for their meal, and they begin to chat about their lives. As they dig in, Matt tells Ben…
Tithes & Offerings | 2 Corinthians 9:6-7
Money is a serious topic. ABBA is serious about Money, Money, Money. After all, money can buy a white toga covered in rhinestones, or if you have money, you’ve got lots of shiny coins, or even better, if you meet a rich man, you can ride in his red convertible and throw back your head and just laugh and laugh. With money, life is better, or as the singer puts it, “Always sunny in the rich man’s world.” At some…
Gently Restore | Matthew 5:23-24, 18:15-20
Today I want us each to recall to mind a relationship we have trouble with. I want us to think of the name of an individual, a person, who we are currently in conflict with, or have been in conflict with before. Think of a family member you love but keep fighting with, a neighbor you keep arguing with, a coworker or supervisor you can’t work with, or a brother or sister in Christ who just rubs you the wrong…
The Challenging Tomb | Matthew 28:1-10
The message of Matthew 28:1-10 is a message God entrusted to the most unlikeliest of people, those society looked down upon. This message has the power to test us and shake our beliefs. How will you respond? Will you let God shine through you in your weakness? Those who obey get to meet Jesus, experience him in his fulness, and worship him. Fear not! Jesus is risen. Go and tell!
The Wondrous Cross | Matthew 27:32-56
How do you view the cross? For many people today the cross is simply a charm on a bracelet, but for those who lived 2,000 years ago the cross was a place of utter horror and suffering. It was normally reserved for the worst criminals, yet this is the place where Jesus willingly goes to pay for sin. In Matthew 27:32-56 we see Jesus suffer through the horror of being crucified, so that sinful people, like you and me can…
Dig Down Deep | Matthew 7:24-29
In his conclusion to the Sermon on the Mount in Matthew 7:24-29, Jesus challenges his followers and the crowd to put into action what he’s been teaching. To listen and obey is like a wise man who built his house on unshakable rock. But to listen to Jesus’ words and go away unchanged is foolish. It’s like building your house on sand. Your life will not stand, in this life or the next. Dig down deep to Christ our Cornerstone.
The Road Less Traveled | Matthew 7:13-23
In Matthew 7:13-23, Jesus uses three lessons to teach his followers how to distinguish between his true followers and those that pretend or are just going through the motions. He uses the lesson of the broad path and the narrow path in verses 13-14, the lesson of the wolves and fruit trees in verses 15-20, and the lesson of calling on Jesus as Lord, but not really knowing him in verses 21-23. These verses are a challenge to really follow…