FRCP Sunday Morning Sermons

In Matthew 27:5-66, we have a dead Jesus. The bad guys won, the hero has lost, and Matthew fills in on what happens after Jesus is taken down from the cross. First, we see women willing to be near the danger to care for Jesus and we see a wealthy man using his resources to honor his slain Lord by providing a burial place. Then we see scheming religious leaders worried that Jesus' movement will con...

In Matthew 27:1-10, Judas's plan works flawlessly, so Jesus is arrested and condemned. And then the regret sinks in. As in many of our choices, we build up the reasons that suit our desires, but downplay the consequences. And sometimes, when the consequences hit, we realize we've made the wrong choice. How do we handle mistakes that lead to regret? For Judas, it was overwhelming despair that led h...

In Matthew 26: 31-75, we have several scenes related to the arrest of Jesus. First, Jesus warns his disciples that they will all abandon him, then Judas arrives, then the trial and lastly, Peter's denial. One of the themes that runs through this portion of narrative is what it means to be a man, or better, how to be strong and keep your integrity under pressure. When we look at Peter, we see an im...

In Matthew 26:17-30, we see Jesus celebrating the Passover with his disciples. For us modern Gentiles, it can be hard to recognize the full meaning of Jesus' words and actions in the "Last Supper" because we weren't raised observing the Passover like Jesus and the disciples. We can easily think of it as a "Christian" tradition of a little bread and a little juice (or wine) to remind us of Jesus sa...

In Matthew 26:1-16, a beautiful thing happens in the midst of an ugly situation. We begin hearing about the decision by the religious leaders to assasinate Jesus and the passage ends with Judas being paid to hand him over. Jesus is not naive, so he must be under a lot of stress, knowing that the cross is imminent. Then, in the middle of those two ugly happennings, is something good. While Jesus is...

In Matthew 25:31-46, Jesus culminates his final large section of teaching with a description of the final judgment. This is the end of our all our lives, as all nations stand before the throne of the King. Who will get in and who won't? Jesus answers this with a simile using goats and sheep. In our culture, we call people who are the best "The GOAT" or The Greatest of All Time. But here, being a g...

In Matthew 25:14-30, Jesus shares about a Master who goes away and gives several of his servants bags of gold. One gets five, another two and a third gets one. The assumption is that they will get to work investing and growing the resources for the master. The master returns and the first two get "Well done!" and invited into the Master's joy. The third guy, though, brings back the same amount he...

In Matthew 24:45-25:13, Jesus follows his warnings about his return and the judgement to come with several stories describing people unprepared to meet their Maker. He talks of a household manager whose pride and penchant for evil swells the longer his Master is away. But the Master eventually returns and due to his mismanagement and cruelty, he's cut to pieces. Then he tells of virgins participat...

In Matthew 24:1-44, Jesus takes a comment from his disciples about the glory of the Temple to explain to them the signs that will accompany the end of the world. Many crazy things will take place, but those are not the end. They are the birth pains leading up to the real end, which is the Day of the Lord and the Messiah's return. Part of this is corrective. They can't imagine the world continuing...

In Matthew 28:1-10, we read Matthew's account of Resurrection Morning. Two women go the tomb early. They experience an earthquake, an angel and eventually Jesus, alive. When they meet him, the fall down and grasp his feet in worship. This sermon explores this brief observation. What does it this account say about who these women were, but more importantly, who Jesus is? And do we love Jesus in the...

In Matthew 26:1-56, we examine the several times in Matthew’s gospel, where Jesus informed the disciples that he would be going to Jerusalem to suffer and be crucified. However, the information apparently did not resonate in their minds, probably because they had preconceived ideas of how the ministry of Jesus would usher in an earthly kingdom. Not until after the resurrection did they understand...

In this message from select scriptures from the book of Acts, Pastor Steve Johnson reminds us of the way God uses challenges to accomplish his purposes.

In Matthew 23:1-39, Jesus wraps up his string of run-ins with the religioius leaders with a sermon about them. He's talking to the crowds and his disciples but they were probably within ear shot. It's a diatrible against hypocrisy as Jesus points out the ways that these religious leaders try to look righteous but instead are greedy, self-serving, and corrupt. They have exchanged their calling to s...

In Matthew 22:34-46, Jesus finishes a brutal round of debate and conflict with the religious leaders. The final question comes from a lawyer who asks him to declare which commandment is the greatest. Jesus goes back to Deuteronomy 6:5 and says it's to love God completely. He then adds the second which is to love our neighbor as ourselves from Leviticus 19:18. Nothing new here, but Jesus' combinati...

In this "podcast-like" sermon, Kyle chats with his friend Brian, a former pastor. At one of their coffee meet-ups recently, they reminded themselves of what they already knew, that their sins are forgiven and their eternity is secure in Jesus. This is a great antidote to stress and our tendency to take too much responsibility. Instead, we trust God. This is also a reminder that we need godly frien...

In a continuation of last week's message, we establish that Truth is grounded in God (the Great "I AM"). He is the Most Real, on which all of Creation depends for its existence. So when we know the Truth, what we really mean is that we know God and speak and act in ways that align with his nature and character. Thus, the Truth of the kind we talk about being used by humans is a combination of fact...

Pilate and Jesus have a little chat in John 18. "So you're a king?" Loaded question. "You say I'm a king," says Jesus, but then he explains that what he really came to do was testify to the truth. "What is truth?" retorts Pilate. What IS truth? Why does it matter? Is Pilate right, that even if big T Truth exists, that it's all but useless in a broken sinful world? And what are the consequences of...

"God in the Box: Part 1, Summoning the Demon" - The Ai revolution is here. This has been a long time coming (starting with the first mechanical counting machine), but only relatively recently has hit the common person. And it has done so with a swiftness unparalleled by any other innovation humans have come up with. Software that thinks, talks, creates, plans, works...thousands if not millions of...

In Matthew 22:15-46, we see Jesus interacting with religious leaders. Right away we're told they are trying to trap him, but you couldn't tell based on how they address him. In fact, they are quite complimentary. Jesus sees through the flattery. He calls them out on it, gives them truth without falling into their traps and gains respect as an authority. Watching Jesus in these passages should incr...

In Matthew 21:28-46, we find Jesus teaching about the Kingdom of God using two parables: the first about two rascally sons, the second about evil renters. Both hit on a common theme: your life matters. What you do, how you behave, matters. Your words matter, too, but if your words don't match your lifestyle, your lifestyle will "win" or be the thing you are judged by. So Jesus tells us better to b...

In anticipation of the new year, Kyle shares a church-wide challenge to grow in prayer this next year. Why? Yes, because it's part of the privilege we have being children of God (we can talk to our Creator?!??), but also because it's essential to grow in holiness and effectiveness by keeping God's voice as the primary influence in our lives. It's also how we receive direction and empowerment to do...

As we consider Peace on this advent Sunday, we go back to the most basic meaning of the Hebrew term for peace, which is "shalom". Shalom means wholeness or completeness. From there, we get other uses of the word, ideas like calmness or lack of conflict. If we are complete or whole (and don't have any more needs or insecurities), we experience what we typically mean by peace. Where is your peace co...

In Ruth 1, we see a woman with every reason to be unhappy. And no doubt, she was to some degree, dealing with the grief of loss and cultural upheaval. And yet, she didn't succumb to her pain, but became an example of extreme loyalty and love. Student Ministry Director Hayden explores how people can use thankfulness to foster joy and not be enslaved to our circumstances for our happiness.

In John 3:16, we are reminded that God loves us and that's why He sent Jesus. And towards the end of the chapter, we are reminded that the Father loves Jesus, too, and has given all things into his hands. So the one the Father loves enough to give everything to...has been given to us. Kyle dives in to some of the words used in scripture to describe to us God's love and we land on Communion as a re...

In Deuteronomy 8:10, we look at Moses’ sermon on the verge of the Promised Land. He won’t be continuing the journey, so he’s reminding his people of their history, of God’s law, and where their hope lies. In the middle of chapter 8 is quick reminder of how essential giving thanks is to their future. Giving thanks looks back on what God has done, both blessing and discipline, and fosters the kind o...