Sunday Sermons from The Village Chapel

Jesus has just finished the first section of the Sermon on the Mount, the section we call The Beatitudes: the conditions of the heart that lead to a flourishing life. Jesus now begins to show us what this life looks like lived out on a daily basis. Do you want your life to have influence? Jesus tells us how. Join Pastor Matt as he leads through Matthew 5:13-16. Support the show To find more resour...

The Sermon on the Mount is perhaps the most famous sermon in history and the opening lines are some of its most well known. Often called The Beatitudes, they describe what Jesus calls the “blessed” life. In part 3 of our series on The Beatitudes, Pastor Jim explores the subject of what kind of people real disciples of Jesus can become and how their interior life can affect their outer way of life....

The Sermon on the Mount is perhaps the most famous sermon in history and its opening lines are some of the most well known. Often called The Beatitudes, they describe what Jesus calls a “blessed” life. Each of the Beatitudes is stated in three parts: a pronouncement of blessing, a disposition of the heart or condition in life, and the benefit that accompanies those hearts and lives thusly describe...

After He began His ministry, Jesus left the crowds, climbed up a hillside, sat down and began to teach the disciples what His kingdom is like. He begins to answer some of the most fundamental questions that philosophers, accountants, woodworkers, fishermen and everyone in between have been asking throughout history: How can I be happy? What is the good life? What is the summum bonum (the highest g...

After the temptation of Jesus in the wilderness, Jesus returned to the northern region of Galilee: this time to the town of Capernaum, which became the hub of most of His Galilean ministry. From there Matthew records the first elements of the public ministry of Jesus, the first calling of disciples, and also, a summary of the first responses of the people to Jesus. What issues were so important th...

Immediately after Jesus is baptized and hears the audible voice of His Father proclaiming, “This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased,” the Spirit leads Him into the wilderness where He faces temptation from the devil. Join us as Pastor Matt leads us through this passage and we learn about Jesus’ response to the devil and what it means for us today. Support the show To find more resources...

Over 20 years have passed since the events we read about in Matthew 2. Here in chapter 3 the narrative shifts to the person and ministry of John the Baptist, and culminates with the baptism of Jesus. Just who was John the Baptist? What was his message and what was his mission? What is this thing called “repentance” and who needs it? Why did Jesus want to be baptized by John? Join Pastor Jim as he...

Teaching by contrast is one of the most effective ways to help people learn. Matthew chapter 2 presents the stark contrast between two kings and two kingdoms. Here, Matthew helps us understand what can go wrong with the world when the prevailing political powers, social structures, and cultural influencers act without respect for God. Join Pastor Jim as he helps us see the wisdom of offering our u...

Just who was the disciple of Jesus we call Matthew? Why did Matthew start his book with the genealogy of Jesus and what’s interesting about the 42 names on that list? Join Pastor Jim as we study the first book of the New Testament, The Gospel According to Matthew, which tells us about King Jesus and the Kingdom of Heaven. Support the show To find more resources like these, follow us: Website: http...

Psalm 90 is the kind of song that invites us to sit up and pay attention; to put aside temporal distractions and examine our lives in light of eternity. This Psalm of Moses, likely one of the oldest in the entire Psalter, is composed of several prayers and statements that remind us of who God is: the creator, infinite, eternal and everlasting. Moses also lays out the present condition of humanity:...

King David proclaims “My Times are in Your Hands” in this Psalm, in the midst of danger and suffering. How did this claim affect the way he viewed his circumstances? What does it mean for us to make this same claim in our own lives, and view God as completely sovereign in all things? Join Pastor Matt as he leads us through Psalm 31. Support the show To find more resources like these, follow us: We...

We’ve all heard people talk about the “true meaning” of Christmas. But just what is it? What difference does the birth of a baby two thousand years ago make to us? Who was this baby and why has he become the most talked about individual in human history? How is it that His life has had such an impact on so many when He had such a lowly entrance into the world and then died the death of a criminal?...

Jesus Christ was born into a world of political unrest; economic hardship; religious, racial and international tension; and there was precious little peace to be found. What had gone wrong with the world? We might ask the same question of our own time. What has gone wrong with our world? Why is there so much disappointment, restlessness and despair? How can those who have acquired and achieved so...

At the time of the birth of Jesus, Israel had turned away from God and found themselves broken and longing for hope and deliverance. But there was none of either on the horizon. God had given them exactly what they had wanted: life apart from Him. The spiritual problem of the human condition has not really changed much since that time. Ironically, we still ask the same kinds of questions the ancie...

Some form of the word “joy” occurs well over 200 times in our English Bibles. Is joy even obtainable in this life; in our dysfunctional, angry and fear laden world? Can God really save and redeem us from the despair and sadness of this life? Can God turn our sorrow into gladness? If so, how does living in relationship with Jesus Christ lead us to joy? Join Pastor Jim as he helps us take a look at...

In the ancient scriptures, Advent begins in the dark. God’s people were living under the oppressive rule of the Roman Empire. Poverty, racism, abuse and violence were everywhere. And on top of it all, the heavens seemed silent. There had been no word from God for 400 years. When Christ entered the world the picture we are given of the world context for the Jewish people was filled with despair, tr...

How should we interpret the painful experiences of this life? Is there a way we can learn to forgive others as we have been forgiven by God? Join Pastor Jim as we come to the final chapters of Genesis and the Joseph narratives. While this is the end of the stories about the beginning, it is just the beginning of the rest of God’s redemption story! Support the show To find more resources like these...

Don’t you just love a good reunion story? Do you ever wonder if God has a purpose when changes come flying at you like a speeding curveball and disrupt your life? Join Pastor Jim as he walks us through some major changes in the lives of Jacob and Joseph and then shows us what those events teach us about God and whether He can be trusted. Support the show To find more resources like these, follow u...

Joseph’s brothers did not merely hurt his feelings; they kidnapped him, abused him, sold him into slavery, and in doing so, they thought they had signed his death warrant. What happened years later when they came face to face again in desperate need of Joseph’s mercy and kindness? And what can we learn from this dramatic story about finding our way towards the road to reconciliation if we have str...

The famine predicted in Genesis chapter 41 has to come to pass. Jacob’s 10 sons travel to Egypt to buy grain, not knowing they will soon meet their younger brother Joseph, who is second in command only to Pharaoh. What happens when they are reunited? Join Pastor Matt Pierson as he walks us through Genesis chapters 42-43 and we look at the forgiveness and reconciliation given to us through Christ....

The story of Joseph reveals a man of character, integrity and giftedness. But, more than any of those attributes, what framed and shaped his life was the reality that the Lord was with him. Four times we are told in chapter 39, “The Lord was with Joseph.” The story of chapters 40-41 work out the implications of that truth. We invite you to join Pastor Tommy as we study this life of faith that runs...

Is temptation a sin? Does everyone experience temptation at some point? How should we respond when we are tempted to do something we know is wrong? What choices are available to us? Join Pastor Jim for this practical study of a powerful temptation that entered Joseph’s life, how he responded, and the role of God in all of it. Support the show To find more resources like these, follow us: Website:...

Why is it so hard for some people to hold the faith of their family together? Why have issues of sexuality become so complex? What is it about us that makes us so consumer minded in our relationships? The story of Judah and Tamar is not a light-hearted one. But it does remind us, in spite of how complicated the world can get, through it all, God fulfills His purposes and plans. Join Pastor Jim as...

What does the Bible teach us about parental favoritism? How about sibling rivalry? What should we do when our hearts and minds are beset with competition or crippled by resentment? Join Pastor Jim as he walks us through the timeless and practical truths we find in Genesis 36-37 and the gospel realities this passage points us towards. Support the show To find more resources like these, follow us: W...

For over 30 years, God has faithfully protected and provided for Jacob as he promised he would. Now, God calls Jacob back to the land of his fathers, to rename him “Israel” and continue with the covenantal blessings given to Abraham and Isaac. Join Pastor Matt as he teaches through Genesis 35- “Turning Towards Home”, and reminds us how God might be calling us to return as well. Support the show To...