Sunday Sermons from The Village Chapel

Join guest speaker and poet Malcolm Guite as he teaches through Matthew 14:14-21 in our ongoing sermon series, "Matthew: The King and His Kingdom." Support the show To find more resources like these, follow us: Website: https://thevillagechapel.com YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCQVTzDbaiXVUAm_mUBDCTJA Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/tvcnashville/ Facebook: https://www.fa...

Have you ever wondered if God knows about what you’re going through? Does God understand what it’s like to live in this world – more precisely, in your world? When life’s worst experiences include things like agonizing rejection, the smothering grief of loss, and the crushing weight of relentless need all around us, does the God of the Bible really understand those kinds of things? And what has Go...

Toward the end of Matthew 13, Jesus concludes a teaching series of seven parables that describe the nature, growth and hope of His kingdom. With the final four parables, Jesus invites His listeners to consider whether or not they have seen, recognized and treasured Him and His kingdom above all others. These parables invite us to ask the same question: have we seen, recognized and treasured the Ki...

A pop song from 1985 declared, “Everybody wants to rule the world!” But how would that work? And is that the kind of world we really want to live in? Chapter 13 of the Gospel According to Matthew records 7 parables of Jesus in which Jesus describes what He calls, “the kingdom of heaven.” Join Pastor Jim as he helps us understand exactly what Jesus meant by that term and the astonishing joy, hope a...

What is a New Testament parable and why did Jesus so often teach using parables? How should we interpret and apply the parables of Jesus? What is the real meaning of the Parable of the Sower, the Seed and the Four Soils? How can we engage more deeply with this parable and benefit from the insights of Jesus? Join Pastor Jim as he helps us begin mining the rich veins of godly wisdom and wonders of g...

Once again Jesus heals someone, and once again faces opposition from the Pharisees. How does He answer His accusers, who claim He only heals by the power of Satan? Join Pastor Matt as he leads us through this passage and we hear what Jesus has to say about belief and unbelief; about forgiveness and the unforgivable sin; and who He calls His family. Support the show To find more resources like thes...

Why did the claims of Jesus become sources of such great tension between Him and the religious leadership of the first century? What did Jesus say are some of the essentials for a flourishing soul? How do Jesus’ teachings on such matters still speak to the deepest longings of our hearts today? Join Pastor Jim as he explores answers to these and other questions in Matthew 12:1-21. Support the show...

Why do so many people seem chronically restless and hopeless? Does the Christian gospel address these deepest longings of the human soul? What is the disposition of the heart of Jesus towards us during those times? What does Jesus promise to give to all who are weary and burdened, when they respond to His extraordinary invitation? Join Pastor Jim as he unpacks the answers to these and other questi...

After Jesus sends out the 12 disciples on their mission in Matthew 10, He continues to teach and preach in their hometowns. From prison, John the Baptist sends Jesus this message: “Are you the one who is to come, or shall we look for another?” John is expressing honest doubt that Jesus is the Messiah. Jesus responds with tenderness and respect to encourage John that He is indeed the Messiah, fulfi...

In chapter 10 of Matthew’s gospel, we witness the calling and commissioning of the Twelve Apostles. Before beginning their ministry, Jesus clarifies the mission, giving them instructions to follow His pattern of proclaiming the good news of the Kingdom, healing diseases, raising the dead, cleansing lepers and casting out demons. Jesus cautioned His disciples about opposition that would come becaus...

Today we are blessed to welcome guest speaker and longtime friend of TVC Scotty Smith. Scotty Smith is the Pastor Emeritus at Christ Community Church in Franklin, Tennessee, and a Teacher in Residence at West End Community Church in Nashville. Join Scotty Smith as he guides us through Matthew 10:1-23 in our ongoing teaching series, "Matthew: The King and His Kingdom." Support the show To...

Chapters 8 and 9 of Matthew’s gospel present us with a record of some of the miracles of Jesus. In today’s passage we read of Jesus healing disease, raising someone from the dead, opening the eyes of two blind men, and casting a demon out of another man. Were these miracles of Jesus real events? If so, what seems to have been the purpose behind these miracles? What do these miracles tell us about...

What kind of people does Jesus call to become His disciples? What does it mean to respond positively to the call of Jesus on our lives? What does following Jesus actually entail? Join Pastor Jim as he helps us catch a vision of the joy and wonders of living our lives as disciples and followers of Jesus Christ. Support the show To find more resources like these, follow us: Website: https://thevilla...

Chapter 9 of the Gospel of Matthew begins with Jesus and His disciples returning from the other side of the Sea of Galilee and arriving back in Capernaum, the central hub of His ministry. Matthew gives an account of a group of men who bring their paralyzed friend to Jesus for healing. Jesus responds to the unwavering faith of these friends in a surprising way. First, He forgives the man's sin...

Chapters 8 and 9 of Matthew’s gospel present us with a record of 9 miracles of Jesus. These miracles were not merely a bit of supernatural entertainment, they served the purpose of displaying the power and authority of Jesus, they revealed the compassion of Jesus, they affirmed the identity of Jesus, and they inspired faith in, allegiance to, and worship of Jesus. If Jesus really is who He claimed...

As we have continued in our study of the gospel of Matthew, we are seeing that Jesus is inviting everyone to follow Him. The question we will be discussing today is what is involved when Jesus calls us to follow Him? Join us as we study Matthew 8:18-27 and take a deeper look at what it means to be a disciple of Christ! Support the show To find more resources like these, follow us: Website: https:/...

Matthew 8 presents us with a record of several of the miracles of Jesus. The first was performed at the request of somebody who was considered an “outcast,” the second at the request of an “outsider” and the third at the request of no one, but for a person whose very life might have been considered “obsolete.” Were the miracles of Jesus real? If so, what was the purpose of His miracles? More impor...

What began with a description of Christian character in the Beatitudes now comes to a climactic ending with a description of building on the firm foundation of Christ Himself. On its surface Matthew 7 may read like a patchwork quilt of aphoristic statements about unconnected subjects. But taken as a whole we begin to see the artfulness of Jesus’ teaching style. As rich as the moral, ethical and sp...

Over the last few weeks, in our studies of chapters 5 and 6 in Matthew’s gospel, we’ve looked at both the vertical and horizontal aspects of righteousness - living faithfully in relationship to both God and others. Last week, we studied how Jesus taught his disciples to pray, and what effective prayer looks like. This week Jesus delves to the very heart of the matter and focuses on applying kingdo...

It has been said that most of our prayers can be reduced to one or two word exclamations such as “Help!”, “Thank you!” or “Wow!” What did Jesus have to say about prayer? How did Jesus teach His disciples to pray? What is the ultimate purpose of prayer and what are the most effective ways for us to pray? Join Pastor Jim as he helps us see with greater clarity some of the most meaningful aspects of...

The New Testament describes the Resurrection of Jesus Christ as an historical event, claiming that a physically dead Jesus rose up from the grave three days after His death on the cross. Over 500 eyewitnesses saw Jesus alive after He came back to life. In one of the earliest New Testament writings, the apostle Paul said many of those eyewitnesses were still alive and could be interviewed by any pe...

The gospel accounts of Jesus’ entry into Jerusalem on that first Palm Sunday describe a grand entrance in at least three ways: it was dramatic, it was deliberate and it demanded a response. Why did Jesus ride in on a donkey? Why did the crowds shout “Hosanna” at Jesus? How might they have misunderstood what Jesus was doing? How did the religious leaders react that day? And what timeless lessons ab...

Last week, in our study of chapter 5, Jesus focused on the moral (horizontal) dimensions of righteousness—living faithfully in relationship to others. Jesus taught that our righteousness must exceed that of the scribes and Pharisees. In other words, behavior modification alone is not true righteousness. Authentic righteousness comes from an overflow of a heart that has been transformed and reorien...

According to Jesus there was complete congruence and continuity between the Old Testament and His own teachings. Jesus had not come to overturn the Old Testament law, but rather, Jesus had come to fulfill the law. In the passage at hand, Jesus offers examples of how to distinguish between God’s laws and man’s traditions. He shows the correct interpretation and application of God’s law and shows ho...

After teaching about what a flourishing life looks like in the Beatitudes, Jesus told those who followed Him they would be like salt and light in the world. Both their character and their influence were to arouse curiosity and inspire others to believe in Jesus and become members of God’s kingdom. Their words and deeds, as Jesus’ disciples, were to make His kingdom audible and visible. But what ab...