Sunday Sermons

As we continue through the book of Amos, God further exposes Israel’s sin and their determination to persist in disobedience. Yet, God’s plans will always prevail. In 8:4-14, we see a people who insist on ignoring the word of the Lord, as well as the overwhelming magnitude of the judgment that awaits them.

Last week, we looked at two visions of judgment for Israel that the Lord revealed to Amos concerning Israel, in which the Lord relented in response to Amos’ intercession. In contrast, the two visions in this week’s passage depict judgments that will certainly come to pass. They serve as a sobering reminder that God’s patience will not endure indefinitely and as a warning that His people today must...

As we approach Amos 7, we are confronted with a series of visions that the Lord shows the prophet concerning Israel’s future destruction. However, the opening section of this chapter (7:1-6) provides a slight shift in tone from everything we have read so far. It provides a glimpse of God’s mercy in response to Amos’ intercession on behalf of the people.

After calling Israel out for their meaningless and superficial displays of worship in chapter 5, the Lord continues to expose the nature of a life lived devoid of genuine acknowledgement of God. Even though they are the Lord’s chosen people, their sin must be addressed and punished.

In the second half of Amos 5, God confronts Israel’s false assumptions in their standing before the Lord. This misplaced assurance is evident in their eagerness for the “day of the Lord” to come, as well as their continued outward religious practices. Yet God is not impressed with their external displays of devotion. Their hearts remain far from him and his righteous judgment will soon come upon t...

Amos 5 continues to reveal the nature of Israel's coming judgment as well as the reason for it. Even in the pronouncements of his righteous judgment, we also gain a greater glimpse of God’s heart for his people. Though the message of what is to come may be sobering, there is still hope to be found for those who are genuinely seeking it.

The second half of Amos 4 focuses on the things that God has done to get Israel’s attention. Even so, they refuse to turn to him and continue their rebellion. This week’s passage offers a glimpse of God’s incredible patience towards his people while also revealing the extent to which the human heart can become hardened.

This week, we move into chapter four, where God has a word for the women of the land who are complicit in the nation’s sin. This passage gives us greater clarity regarding Israel’s actions and what God is going to do in response. The issue is not only their outward behavior, but also the posture of their hearts toward God that lies behind those actions.

In God‘s continued indictment against Israel, Amos moves the case further in 3:9–15. In this passage, we get further explanation into the nature of Israel’s evil as well as the way God is going to punish them. It is a lesson that serves as a warning for us on what we can expect when we are insistent to hold onto sin.

After calling out the nations for their sin and proclaiming judgment upon them, God turned his attention to his own people in last week’s passage. The focus will remain on Israel throughout the rest of the book. In the beginning of chapter 3, God reminds Israel of their relationship to him as his people and shows how the very nature of this relationship actually serves as a witness against them in...

In last week’s passage, God delivered a word of judgment for the outside nations. In this week’s text, the Lord centers his attention on the sins of his own people. This serves as a humbling reminder that God’s grace is not to be taken lightly and that the way we live our lives matters to Him.

Last week, we were introduced to the idea that God has a difficult word to deliver through Amos–he is about to roar at his people, Israel. However, before he delivers his message to them, the Lord declares judgment on the nations that surround them (1:3-2:3). It is a reminder that all people will be held accountable to a holy God, and that no injustice will go unpunished.

Now that we have concluded our series in Matthew, we go back in time approximately 700 years, before the birth of Christ, to the book of Amos. It is a time of prosperity for God's people. But it is also a time of moral decay and empty worship. In these first two verses of the book, we see that God is sending a messenger to deliver news that will upend the comfortable life of the people of Israel.

He is risen indeed! On this Resurrection Sunday, we conclude our more than two-year-long series in the Gospel of Matthew by celebrating our Lord’s glorious resurrection and the calling that is placed on His disciples’ lives in response to His victory.

On this Palm Sunday, we have arrived at the point to which the Gospel of Matthew has been guiding us over the last two and half years: the crucifixion and death of our Lord Jesus Christ. In this account of the events of that day, the author doesn’t spare the details of the utter humiliation our Lord faced. Yet, at the moment Jesus yielded his spirit, we get a glimpse of the Lord's victory through...

After Jesus has been abandoned, betrayed, arrested, and accused by his own people, Matthew depicts Him standing trial before the Roman governor Pilate. Unlike the Jewish religious leaders, Pilate doesn’t personally find any fault with Him. Nevertheless, God’s sovereign plan for redemption moves forward as Pilate yields to the external pressures of the crowd.

In this week’s passage, we briefly turn from what is happening to Jesus and focus on Judas’ demise. Clearly, Judas is affected by how events have played out after his great betrayal, which leads to the taking of his own life. However, the real conflict of this text is the question of what to do with the money, and it tells us a great deal about what is going on in the hearts of the characters invo...

At this point in the Gospel of Matthew, Jesus has been arrested. This week's text gives us two scenes of events immediately following his arrest: Jesus standing before the high priest, and Peter with bystanders in the courtyard just outside. The truth is being questioned, and only one is willing to testify to it.

Our entire journey through Matthew over the last two and a half years has been all about the anticipation of God’s plan to establish his kingdom through Jesus. In this week’s passage, we clearly see that plan get put into motion with his betrayal and arrest. Though it may seem unlikely to us, Jesus’ abandonment and His being taken into custody by human authorities were necessary for fulfillment of...

As we journey through the events of Holy Week in Matthew 26, the narrative leads us to the account of Christ instituting the Lord’s Supper. This is a profound and dramatic moment in which Christ reveals the significance of His death and explains how it applies to His disciples. It also demonstrates that the condition of our hearts shapes the manner in which we partake of the meal.

As we turn to chapter 26, we now enter into the home stretch of the Gospel of Matthew. This week's text confronts us and the disciples with the reality of the Lord's impending death and gives us a glimpse inside the minds and hearts of those involved. However, it is not meant to be a mere description of events as they played out. This passage provides a means to examine our own hearts as we consid...

In our brief pause from our walk through the Gospel of Matthew, we take some time to consider the overall mission of God revealed in the pages of Scripture. From the very beginning, God has had a plan, and that plan includes using His people to bring it to fulfillment. This is an idea that ought to shape the lives of each and every one of us as we consider how we live in this world today.

In Matthew 25:31-46, Jesus finishes his long answer to the question that the disciples asked in Matthew 24:3. In the preceding passages, Jesus has identified the signs to watch for and has instructed his followers on how to live in preparation for his eventual coming. In concluding this section of Matthew he focuses squarely on the nature of the final day—a reality that is both sobering and encour...

In last week’s message, we walked through Jesus’ words to the disciples concerning what they (and we) ought to expect at the end of the age. In 24:45-25:30, Jesus presents three parables to teach us how to live in light of these realities. It is a message that is meant to both encourage

In last week’s text, Jesus began to answer the disciples’ questions about signs of the end of the age. In this week’s text, he goes further, offering greater detail about what the disciples themselves can expect in the days ahead. Although this chapter of Matthew has long been a source of controversy for many Christians throughout history, the main reason that Jesus is communicating these things i...