Go To Him

Matthew 17:24-23  As we will learn today it is not the amount of our faith or the strength of our ability to generate faith.  Not quantity, but quality.  Who is the object of our faith and on whom do we depend for that faith? Even the smallest faith can move mountains when it is placed in the hands of Jesus.

Matthew 17:24-27  As children of God, we are called to live in a manner that honors Him, using our freedom not to indulge our desires, but to serve Him and serve others for His glory.

1 Peter 1:3-9 Heaven will come down one, last time.  God, the Father, has set a day when everything infected with sin is either renewed, saved to eternal joy, or sent to eternal punishment.  After that, Heaven and Earth will once more be open to each other and we will either live eternally with or without God.  That day begins with the return of Jesus from Heaven.

Luke 2:1-20 We can spend a lifetime finding all that the birth of Jesus, and his subsequent life, death, and resurrection, means to us and to the world.  We all know it means far more than trees and presents and food and fellowship and Christmas carols and “It’s a Wonderful Life.”  Today we focus on two meanings of God coming to Earth in Jesus.  One is of paramount importance - we now have forgive...

Matthew 16:21-28  Memento Mori - remember you must die.  It is not intended to be a morbid practice but one that forces us to confront our mortality and the type of life we live.  To live for ourselves is to die for eternity, to live for Jesus is to find life in God.

Matthew 16:1-12  People today are no different than the Pharisees, Sadducees, and disciples.  There are those, so many of those, that refuse to see and believe the evidence of Jesus as Savior.  They don’t want to admit they are a sinner justly condemned before a Holy God so they pretend there isn’t a God.  Or if there is one, we can’t know anything about him.  They don’t want to hear the only way...

Matthew 16:13-20 The living building of Jesus’s church, made up of those who have believed and proclaimed faith in Christ, and who now proclaim the Good News to the world have only done so through the foundational truths God has provided - the evidence of who Jesus is and the revelation of what He has done.

Matthew 15:21-28  True faith, small or large, is a persistent faith that perseveres through trials and tribulations.  While divine favor and breakthroughs don’t always come, or come when we expect, that kind of faith can only grow as we continually find ourselves in the presence of the one who loves us and sent his Son to save us.  Persistent and persevering faith keeps us in the presence of our G...

Matthew 15:29-39 Jesus's compassion knows no bounds - no borders, no boundaries, no ethnic divisions, no social divisions, no wealth divisions, no medical divisions - there is no beyond the compassion of Jesus.  That compassion leads not only to healing and preaching the Kingdom of Heaven is at hand but will eventually lead to salvation being made available to all people.  God is calling his...

Matthew 14:13-21  The well known passage about the feeding of the five thousand.  In this we learn there is no scarcity in God's economy.  He provides for those who are still His enemies.  He over-abundantly provides for those who belong to him.  

Matthew 14:22-36  Who is Jesus in your life?  He will either be Lord and Savior or King and conqueror - there is no other option.

Matthew 14:22-33  It is not the strength of our faith that sustains in the times of fear - it is the object of our faith that sustains us in times of fear.  We can have faith in the face of fear because our God is trustworthy and faithful.

Matthew 15:1-9  Are all traditions bad?  No.  Not even within the church.  Where they become stumbling blocks is when our man-made traditions take precedence over the word of God.  Are we hypocritically expecting others to live by man-made rules that we don't follow or are we following the commands of the God that saved us?

Matthew 15:10-20 Traditions can be good and useful if they point us to the God that loves us. Traditions can be harmful if they take our eyes away from God. Tradition, for the sake of tradition, only indicates the extent of the idol worshipping sin in our heart.  Take the time to take stock of the traditions in your life. If they are leading you to God, then continue to use them. If they are a hin...

Acts 1:12-14; Matthew 6:9-15; Luke 11:1-4 Our church is actively involved in the Regenesis program for revitalizing churches.  One of the most important pieces of that process is prayer - specifically the entire church body praying for renewal.  It is a long term process that requires prayer at every step.  We need to come together as the church family we are and pray for God's providence in...

Matthew 14:1-12 The death and legacy of John the Baptist as told by Jesus.  We, like John, must speak the truth boldly no matter the personal cost.

Matthew 13:53-58  It is one thing to know about Jesus or to assume you know him.  It is entirely another to know him personally as Lord and Savior.

Matthew 13:44-46  The Kingdom of Heaven compared to a treasure found in a field or a pearl of great value.  Whatever the case, it is worth everything you have and you are to gain the Kingdom.

Matthew 13:51-58 Part 1 of a two part series.  Today's sermon is based on verses 51-53.  Understanding comes in various levels and if all you know are the words of the Bible without knowing the Word of the Bible then you know next to nothing.

Matthew 13:31-35  The Parable of the Mustard Seed and the Parable of the Leaven.  In God's economy there is no such thing as too small.  Kingdom of Heaven in Jesus's day and the church in ours has spread throughout the world despite starting with one person.  It's affect has touched every nation and area of life even though it had a seemingly insignificant beginning.  No act, no wor...

Matthew 13:24-30, 36-43, 47-50 Parables of the Weeds and the Wheat and the Dragnet.  Both parables deal with the eternal end of two different types of people.  Those that belong in the Kingdom of Heaven through faith in Jesus Christ as their Savior and those who are excluded from the Kingdom because of their lack of faith.

Matthew 13:1-9; 18-23  The Parable of the Sower, the Seed, and the Soil.  Jesus teaches a parable about the different responses to the message of the Kingdom of Heaven having come.  The majority of the responses are negative which correlates with other passages such as the narrow gate and broad path or "many are called but few are chosen." 

Matthew 13:10-17 We are starting Matthew 13 which is comprised mostly of parables.  These verses explain why Jesus is teaching in parables.  He has used a parable or two before in Matthew's Gospel but there are seven (or eight depending on how you count them) in this chapter alone. A parable is an earthly story with a heavenly meaning and, according to Jesus, their use is two-fold.  For those...

Matthew 12:46-50  Jesus tells us that our earthly family is worthwhile and important but being part of the family of God and doing God's will is more important.  Our earthly families will pass away but the family of God is eternal.

Matthew 12:38-42  The scribes and Pharisees demand a sign from Jesus, the one they just accused of being of league with Satan, in order to prove he is who he says he is.  They are looking for something immediate and direct from Heaven - miracles, healings, and exorcisms are too mundane.  They are told the only sign they will receive is the sign of Jonah which is yet to come in the life of Christ.