Sunday Sermons

In the closing verses of Matthew 10, Jesus gives some of the strongest words about what it means to follow him in carrying out his mission. We are called to put Jesus above even the most precious things in this life. And, consequently, this means strife and division. But encouragingly, he ends with words that show us that the cost isn’t paid in vain.

As we continue on in this week’s passage from chapter 10, Jesus addresses some fears we will face in our mission to proclaim His name to the world. In his explanation of these things, the Lord speaks in stark terms. It is a text that all Christians should find massively encouraging in the struggle of making Him known to this world.

In this week's passage, Jesus continues to talk about the mission ahead for the disciples he is commissioning. But the content of what he tells them makes a slight switch between verses 15 and 16. Jesus goes from giving their exact marching orders to what they can expect when it comes to the reaction of those they go to. Our Lord doesn’t mince words when he explains the nature of the persecution a...

Chapter 10 of Matthew begins with Jesus preparing his disciples to go out and do the ministry that Jesus alone has been doing up to this point. And while many of the particulars in Jesus’ instruction to the 12 were specific to them at that point, there is a word for us today as we consider the kingdom mission that all Christians are a part of.

In this last short paragraph from Matthew 9, we see some familiar language concerning Jesus’ ministry to the crowds as well as a glimpse into how our Lord responds to the situation at hand. This week’s passage is a call to his disciples about what we are to do as we look upon the crowds as well.

In Matthew 9:18–34, we are presented with more miraculous work done by our Lord. But in the story of these works of Christ, there is a bit of a spotlight put on the response of the people toward Jesus and what he does. And what we see is a connection between the way a person approaches Jesus and whether they receive what he has for them.

As we continue through chapter 9 of Matthew, we find two situations where Jesus is the source of controversy. But it certainly isn’t because Jesus is wrong or that he is stirring the pot for no good reason. The presence of the Son of God on earth signals a complete and monumental change of everything.

In last week’s passage, we were given a taste of what it costs to follow Christ. But for this week, Matthew gives us a fuller view of the one we are following. Through the three stories presented to us in this text, we see a display of power that separates Jesus from anyone or anything before him.

Last week’s passage gave us a glimpse of the authority that Jesus has from his healings and miracles. This week, we get a look at what it really means to follow him. From the response that he gives to two different people, Jesus bluntly describes the nature of discipleship.

As we turn the page from the Sermon on the Mount, we are immediately confronted with three different stories of Jesus’ miraculous healing work. But the reason for the recording of these healings goes far beyond Jesus being kind to the people around him. The people who he serves and the way he does it tells us a great deal about the nature of our Lord.

This week's passage concludes the Sermon on the Mount. And in it, we are given an illustration that sums up the consequences of what we do with it. It is a passage that certainly holds a warning for the reader, but also serves as a great encouragement.

Matthew 7:13-23 presents to us some of the most difficult teaching from Jesus in the Sermon on the Mount. It is a passage that draws attention to the fact that real followers of Jesus must be a transformed people and that there is no room in the kingdom for mere pretenders.

In verse 12, Jesus wraps up a major section of his teaching with one of the most quoted portions of the Bible. The “Golden Rule” is a text that is known well beyond the walls of the church, but it serves to bring a proper close to a great portion of what Jesus has already taught in the Sermon on the Mount.

As we start to wrap up Jesus' teaching on how we treat others in the Sermon on the Mount, we come to another passage about prayer. But instead of teaching us how to pray, our Lord gives us a word about the confidence we ought to have when we pray. It is an encouraging word about the level of access we have to our loving father in heaven.

This week, we shift from the personal nature of what our hearts are serving and depending on, to our interactions with those around us. As we consider the concept of judging whether someone else is right or wrong, Jesus had strong words for us to consider before engaging in casting that judgment on others.

Last week, we looked at Jesus’ teaching on earthly versus heavenly treasure. In this Sunday’s passage, Jesus addresses a consistent pitfall that everyone experiences: anxiousness over necessities. Jesus provides a perspective that serves to free us from the worry that takes our eyes off the kingdom. He encourages us to remember that God knows us better than we know ourselves and that our daily nee...

After multiple weeks focusing on the Lord’s Prayer, we now move onto the next part of the Sermon on the Mount. In Matthew 6:19-24, Jesus begins to teach on money and possessions. And although the way we view and spend money is not a popular idea to be confronted with, it is indicative of what our heart truly values.

We now reach the last part of the Lord’s Prayer in Matthew 6 and it covers something that we may not give much thought to in our prayer lives, temptation and evil. Matthew 6:13 is an acknowledgement that evil truly exists and that we are vulnerable without the protection of God. And so our Lord commands us to include these things in our prayers to God.

After a week in First Kings, we are back to the Lord’s Prayer. And in verse 12, we are taught to pray for our forgiveness. In fact, verse 12 is such a key part to Jesus’ teaching in this section that he adds commentary in verses 14-15. How we approach forgiveness is a chief indicator of the condition of our hearts.

In reflecting on a great week of VBS, we took a slight detour this Sunday from the Sermon on the Mount to look at the story of Elijah and the prophets of Baal from 1 Kings 18. It serves as a reminder that the Lord we worship really is the One True God.

In Matthew 6:11, we come to a short petition asking for God to give us our daily bread. And while this may be a familiar phrase to many of us, our regularity in praying this way might be lacking. In this verse, Jesus is teaching us something very important about God and the way that we daily interact with him.

We continue through the Lord’s prayer in Matthew 6:10 with a plea from Jesus concerning the kingdom. He is teaching us to have a heart that prays for the Kingdom’s arrival and willing obedience from its citizens to the King. Though the words of this verse are often repeated weekly in churches without much thought, it is a request for the up-ending and restoration of everything.

This Sunday, we start to narrow our focus onto individual sections of the Lord‘s prayer. And while this may be a passage that is very familiar to many of us, there is much to glean from looking at it so closely. In 6:9, we see how Jesus addresses the Father as well as a prayer concerning his name.

This week, we begin a new chapter in Matthew and a new section of our Lord’s Sermon on the Mount. Here, Jesus warns his listeners of practicing their righteousness before others in order to be seen. It is a message that shows us that God not only cares about what we do, but why we do it.

We now come to the end of chapter 5, as well as this section of the Sermon on the Mount. This section concludes with a command that, at first glance, might make us think that Jesus couldn’t actually be serious about. He calls us to be perfect. And while our normal use of the word “perfect” might cloud our understanding, it is a command we are meant to obey.