Flipside Christian Church

Who's the greatest? It's a question we ask about quarterbacks, pitchers, and point guards—but Jesus' disciples asked it about the Kingdom of Heaven, and His answer flipped their entire framework upside down. In this message from Matthew 18:1-6, guest speaker Jeff Stemple unpacks what happens when the disciples' quiet argument about status and rank finally bursts into the open, and Jesus responds n...

In Matthew 17, Pastor Karl traces three big ideas through one of the most pivotal chapters in the Gospel of Matthew — from the Transfiguration to a failed exorcism to a coin found in a fish's mouth. Kingdom authority resides only in the King. God must first overpower us before He can empower us — and faith that shifts from dependence on Christ to confidence in our own ability is twisted faith that...

What happens when following Jesus doesn't look like what you signed up for? In this message, guest speaker Jeff Stemple picks up where last week's sermon left off — right at the moment in Matthew 16 where Jesus begins speaking plainly about suffering, rejection, and death, leaving his disciples confused, disappointed, and wrestling with their faith. From there, Jeff walks us into one of the most b...

In this message from Matthew 16, Pastor Karl unpacks what it truly means to be a disciple of Jesus. This chapter marks a turning point in the Gospel of Matthew — Jesus shifts from miracles and crowds to confession and the cross, pressing his followers on three essential questions: What are you allowing to corrupt your faith? Who do you say Jesus is? And are you willing to pay the real cost of foll...

In this message from Matthew 15:29–16:4, Pastor Karl examines two very different groups of people who come to Jesus — and what their approach reveals about how we receive grace. The first group comes from the Decapolis, a Gentile region with no religious standing or covenant claim. They bring broken bodies, unspoken needs, and nothing to offer — and Jesus meets them with compassion, healing, and e...

In Matthew 15, Pastor Karl walks through two encounters that reveal how Jesus responds to very different kinds of people. The first is a confrontation with the Pharisees — religious leaders who had mastered looking clean on the outside while leaving their hearts completely untouched. Jesus exposes their hypocrisy and makes clear that the real issue is never what comes in from the outside, but what...

What do you do when the storms of life hit? Our instinct is to hunker down, strain at the oars, and just try to survive. But what if the storm isn't just an obstacle — what if it's an invitation? Guest speaker Jeff Stemple walks us through one of the most familiar stories in Scripture: Jesus walking on water. And while the story is familiar, the truth buried inside it is anything but comfortable....

In this message from Matthew 14, Pastor Karl explores two seemingly separate events — the beheading of John the Baptist and the feeding of the five thousand — and reveals how they are deeply connected as a portrait of two contrasting kingdoms. Drawing on the parallel between Herod's banquet and Jesus's meal in the wilderness, Pastor Karl shows what sets the kingdom of the world apart from the king...

In this concluding message of Matthew 13, Pastor Karl unpacks the final three parables of Jesus — the Hidden Treasure, the Pearl of Great Price, and the Net — and challenges the common interpretations most of us have grown up hearing. Rather than reading these parables through a modern American lens, Pastor Karl takes us back into a first-century Jewish mindset to uncover what Jesus was really com...

In this message, Pastor Karl digs into the third and fourth parables of Matthew 13 — the Mustard Seed and the Leaven — and recovers an interpretation that the earliest church held for the first three centuries: these are not simply triumphant stories of kingdom growth, but diagnostic warnings about corruption quietly taking root within it. Using the memorable image of an unnaturally oversized Chih...

What do you do when the world around you feels messy, broken, and out of control? In this week's message, guest speaker David White walks us through one of Jesus's most vivid parables — the Parable of the Weeds and the Wheat from Matthew 13 — and unpacks why the kingdom of heaven doesn't always look the way we expect it to. Drawing from Jesus's own explanation of the parable, David explores the te...

In this episode, Pastor Karl opens Matthew 13 — a chapter packed with seven parables — by laying the groundwork for what parables are and why Jesus used them. A parable, he explains, is a real-life story "thrown beside" a hard truth to make it easier to understand. Jesus uses seven of them in this chapter to help us grasp the rule and reign of God, and what it looks like when the gospel takes root...

In this message, Pastor Karl wraps up the church's three-week study of Matthew 12 — what he calls the hinge point of Jesus's ministry and of all human history. Drawing from verses 40 through 50, he unpacks three powerful moments that reveal the heart of what Jesus was communicating to a resistant generation. Pastor Karl begins with Jesus's references to Jonah and the Queen of Sheba, showing how Je...

This Easter, Pastor Karl takes an unconventional approach — rather than turning to a traditional resurrection passage, he stays in the church's ongoing study of Matthew 12, the hinge point of Jesus's ministry and the moment that set the crucifixion in motion. Through Matthew 12, Pastor Karl unpacks what it truly means to reckon with who Jesus claimed to be. He explores the miracle of the possessed...

In this Palm Sunday message, Pastor Karl walks through Matthew 12 — not the triumphal entry itself, but the pivotal chapter that sets it all in motion. This is the first moment in Scripture where a plot to kill Jesus takes shape, and the first time Jesus begins pointing toward his own death and resurrection. It is, as Pastor Karl calls it, the hinge point of Jesus's entire ministry. At the heart o...

In this message, Pastor Karl tackles one of the more challenging passages in Matthew's Gospel — a section most preachers skip, especially leading up to Easter. Working through Matthew 11:20–30, he confronts a subtle but serious spiritual danger: indifference toward Christ. Using Jesus's sharp words of judgment against Chorazin, Bethsaida, and Capernaum, Pastor Karl unpacks why indifference is not...

In this message, Pastor Karl opens a four-part Easter series through Matthew 11–12, describing these two chapters as the "hinge point" of Jesus's ministry — the moment when people moved from being amazed by Jesus to being required to make a decision about him. He frames the series around four responses to Christ: doubt, indifference, opposition, and ultimately, death and resurrection. Pastor Karl...

In this message, guest speaker Michael Rondon picks up in Matthew 10, covering the second half of the chapter and unpacking six key themes Jesus presents to his disciples: fear, worth, public allegiance, division, discipleship, and faithfulness. Anchoring the entire message in the concept of loyalty, Michael challenges listeners to examine whether Jesus is truly Lord above all else — above comfort...

In Matthew 10, Pastor Karl highlights a pivotal transition in Jesus' ministry, where the disciples move from merely observing and admiring Him to being sent out as active participants in His mission. Jesus calls the Twelve, empowers them with authority to heal, cast out demons, and proclaim the kingdom of heaven, and then commissions them to go first to the lost sheep of Israel. This chapter marks...

In this episode of the podcast from the church, Pastor Karl concludes the study of Matthew chapter 9, highlighting Jesus' revelation of His power through a series of remarkable miracles. He explains Matthew's Jewish perspective, portraying Jesus as the promised Messiah and Anointed One, contrasting this with other Gospel accounts. He recaps the structure of Matthew, noting how chapters 8–9 demonst...

Pastor Karl continues the "Kingdom Now" series in Matthew 9:1–17, showing that Jesus doesn't patch torn-up lives—He recreates them entirely, unleashing kingdom power to prove His authority and bring radical newness. He explores the healing of the paralytic, lowered through the roof by four faithful friends who stopped at nothing to bring him to Jesus. Seeing their faith, Jesus first forgives the m...

Guest speaker David White continues the "Kingdom Now" series in Matthew 8, showing that wherever God’s kingdom arrives, chaos is confronted—but comfort is challenged. He examines two powerful encounters: Jesus calming a violent storm on the Sea of Galilee, where panicked disciples question His care despite His presence, and Jesus casting demons from two violent men into a herd of pigs in Gentile t...

In this message, Pastor Karl transitions from the Sermon on the Mount into Matthew 8, emphasizing Jesus’ supreme authority over the natural and supernatural realms. He highlights the ongoing reality of spiritual warfare against unseen forces of darkness (Ephesians 6:12), seen in Scripture and in current testimonies from Cuba where Christ’s power delivers people from demonic oppression. Through thr...

In this sobering conclusion to the "Kingdom Now" series on the Sermon on the Mount, Pastor Karl closes Matthew 7:21–29 with Jesus' urgent call to authentic, obedient faith. He recaps the narrow gate—Jesus Himself as the exclusive way to the Father (John 10:9)—requiring self-denial and kingdom priority, a path few find because truth is non-negotiable. The terrifying warning follows: Not everyone wh...

In this challenging and convicting message from the "Kingdom Now" series on the Sermon on the Mount, Pastor Karl dives into Matthew 7:1-20 , unpacking Jesus' teachings on judgment, discernment, prayer, and true discipleship. Pastor Karl begins by clarifying "Judge not, lest you be judged" — Jesus forbids condemning others, but calls for discernment and inspection of fruit. He uses the humorous ima...