Manna on the Mountain

Send us Fan Mail Matthew 14:22-33 is the text for this sermon entitled, "Jesus Walks on Water." We who follow Jesus have limitations--such as, we cannot walk on the water! In this passage, Matthew uses simple, straightforward storytelling to relay the amazing events after He fed the 5000. This incident addresses the presence of fear in a disciple’s life and provides an example of what “l...

Send us Fan Mail Matthew 14:13-21 is the text for this sermon entitled, "Feeding of the 5000." In this passage, we see God’s work continuing in spite of John the Baptist losing his life. We also see the humanity of Jesus demonstrated in this episode. The narrative shows Jesus interacting with the crowds in a significant way, and the contrast of how the apostles differed in their initial...

Send us Fan Mail Matthew 14:1-12 is the text for this sermon entitled, "John the Baptist Beheaded." This incident in the gospel of Matthew takes place in the time when Judea was ruled by Herod the Tetrarch. While Jesus was teaching elsewhere, John (known as the Baptizer) had been imprisoned by Herod for having accused the king for his adulterous marriage to Herodias. Herod was angry enou...

Send us Fan Mail Matthew 13:53-58 is the text for this sermon entitled, "Jesus Rejected at Nazareth." In this lesson we examine a significant moment in Jesus’ earthly ministry when He returns to His hometown of Nazareth. The experience there reveals the humanity of Jesus and the challenges He faced. His own family rejected him, along with many of the townspeople. Let us explore the reaso...

Send us Fan Mail Matthew 13:44-46 is the text for this sermon entitled, "Parables of the Pearl and the Treasure." In this passage, we have two additional parables about the kingdom of God. These offer simple, yet very powerful insights which Raise the issue of value. All of us like to get a good deal for something of value--estate sales, businesses going out of business, 75% off deals af...

Send us Fan Mail Matthew 13:47-52 is the text for this sermon entitled, "Kingdom and End of the Age." As we continue moving toward the end of all the chapter 13 parables, it is not surprising that Jesus prophesies about the judgment at the end. Like fishermen who sort out the good from the bad fish, a time of separation is coming. Jesus’ teachings encompass quite often “end of the age” r...

Send us Fan Mail Matthew 13:31-33 is the text for this sermon entitled, "Parables of Mustard Seed and Leaven." Two brief yet powerful parables are in the text of today's lesson: the faith of a mustard seed, and the power of leaven, or yeast. Jesus uses these illustrations to teach that even the tiniest of seeds can produce powerful faith and life in the Kingdom of God. The branches...

Send us Fan Mail Matthew 13:10-17 is the text for this sermon entitled, "The Purpose of the Parables." In this chapter, Jesus has shared a parable with the crowd and with his disciples. After the story, Jesus interrupts himself to answer the question, "Why do you teach in parables?" The answer gives us insight into how and why Jesus used parables to teach and to emphasize the n...

Send us Fan Mail Matthew 13:24-30 and 36-43 is the text for this sermon entitled, "The Parable of the Weeds." In this parable, Jesus teaches that Christians must wait with patience for God's timing for judgment. He will separate the weeds (unsaved people) from the wheat (saved) at the final judgment because that is best for His children and the Kingdom of Heaven.

Send us Fan Mail Matthew 13:1-9 and 18-23 is the text for this sermon entitled, "Parable of the Sower/Soils." This is in one of the teaching sections of Matthew’s gospel. Jesus shares the parable to illustrate how people receive God's word. The setting has Jesus teaching by the sea, attracting a large crowd. This parable is within chapter 13’s collection of parables to demonstrate w...

Send us Fan Mail Matthew 12:46-50 is the text for this sermon entitled, "The Family of Jesus." In this final paragraph of Chapter 12, Matthew describes a time when Jesus was sitting with disciples and his birth family came asking to speak with him. Someone let Jesus know that his mother and siblings needed to see him. Jesus used this interruption as a "golden moment" to teach h...

Send us Fan Mail Matthew 12:43-45 is the text for this sermon entitled, "The Unclean Spirit." Introduction - What is the unclean spirit? •The "unclean spirit" symbolizes evil and spiritual uncleanliness, with roots in Old Testament concepts of defilement.  •Jesus' references to unclean spirits highlight the dangers of spiritual emptiness, suggesting that a heart devoid of...

Send us Fan Mail Matthew 12:38-42 is the text for this sermon entitled, "Demanding a Sign." Curtis begins this lesson with a look at two parallel gospels (Mark and Luke) that add additional details and perspectives about this event in the life of Jesus. Jewish leaders and teachers came to Jesus and demanded a sign to prove His authority (although it was their usual ploy to trap Him). Jes...

Send us Fan Mail Matthew 12:22-32 is the text for this sermon entitled, "The Unforgivable Sin." Jesus attributes the healing and exorcisms He performs to the power of the Holy Spirit, emphasizing the Spirit's divine role in His ministry. Interesting how his ministry of teaching and healing caused so much controversy! The power of the Spirit working in Jesus’s ministry was the fulfil...

Send us Fan Mail Matthew 12:33-37 is the text for this sermon entitled, "Good Fruit and Good Words." The book of Matthew records Jesus' teachings as focused on words 20-30% of the time. That underscores the importance of understanding how our words reflect our hearts and impact our lives! The idea of “fruit” is used 12x by Matthew, more than any other NT writer!  Consider how can wo...

Send us Fan Mail Matthew 10:34-42 is the text for this sermon entitled, "A Sword, Cross, and Cup." This passage offers today's Christians three powerful metaphors of discipleship. Here, Jesus continues His instructions to disciples for what is sometimes called "The Limited Commission." He speaks of (1) a sword, (2) a cross, and (3) a cup of cold water. Curtis discusses wha...

Send us Fan Mail Matthew 11:1-19 is the text for this lesson entitled, "John the Baptist as Elijah." 1. John’s Faithfulness to God's Calling John the Baptist was dedicated to his calling in a prophetic role, faithfully preparing the way for Jesus. Despite opposition, imprisonment, and eventually death, he stayed true to his mission to call people to repentance and identify the Messi...

Send us Fan Mail Matthew 11: 20-24 is the text for this lesson entitled, "Woe to the Unrepentant Cities." There is a significant difference between Jesus’ words about repentance and judgment. The purpose of today’s lesson is to understand and live by three great principles enunciated in this text: accountability, repentance, and divine judgment. Curtis also explores how the grace of God...

Send us Fan Mail Matthew 12:1-14 is the text for this sermon entitled, "Lessons from Grain and a Withered Hand." Matthew moves from teaching section to ministry action, but still teaching within the action! This interaction between Jesus and the Pharisees gets at the heart of the ongoing conflict and controversy between them. From two images, the grain and the withered hand, we learn a f...

Send us Fan Mail Matthew 12:15-21 is the text for this sermon entitled, "The Chosen Servant." Jesus came to earth on a mission! Have you ever thought about writing your personal Life Mission Statement to see if it aligns with God's purpose for you?  This passage offers a look at Jesus' life and mission as the fulfillment of a prophesy from Isaiah 42:1-4. It encapsulates His rol...

Send us Fan Mail Matthew 9:18-38 is the text for this sermon entitled, "Heart of a Harvester." John 16:33, ““I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.” Jesus’ focus of ministry was on those for whom the world seems to have overcome them!     Curtis reviews the final chapter of Matthew 9...

Send us Fan Mail The words of the hymn "Hold to God's Unchanging Hand" inspired this sermon of the same name. We start with Matthew 22:16 where scripture tells us Jesus was not swayed by the opinions of people, but was unchanging in truth. The world is constantly changing, which is often daunting for human beings. God offers us the confidence of knowing that God is unchanging in nat...

Send us Fan Mail Matthew 10:1-23 is the text for this sermon entitled, "Mission of the Twelve."         This chapter in Matthew's gospel details Jesus' instructions to the 12 apostles as he sends them out on what is sometimes referred to as "the limited commission" in contrast to "The Great Commission" in Matthew 28. Matthew lists the names of those Jesus ha...

Send us Fan Mail Matthew 10:24-33 is the text for this lesson entitled "Lifestyle of a Disciple." Here, Jesus continues his instructions to the 12 apostles following his delivery of what is sometimes called "The Limited Commission." His directives paved the way not only for the disciples, but also for us today. Jesus also answers some important challenges and questions the disc...

Send us Fan Mail Matthew 9:14-17 is the text for this sermon entitled, "Fasting and New Wineskins." John’s disciples come to Jesus to ask important question. They realized he was the source for answering their religious question. The practice of fasting was important in Judaism, and John’s disciples were in the habit of practicing it. They wanted to know why Jesus and his disciples did n...