West Bradenton - A Neighborhood Church

Pastor Kent fills in for Sam this week as we continue our study of the mountains of the Bible.

Pastor Sam Rainer preaches through every verse of Matthew’s gospel. This sermon covers Matthew 18:1-10. Why does Jesus say your faith should be childlike? In this text, Jesus compares conversion to the acceptance of a child. And then, He uses strong language to warn anyone who would harm a child or tempt others to sin.

Pastor Sam Rainer preaches through every verse of Matthew’s gospel. This sermon covers Matthew 17:1-27 and the transfiguration of Jesus. At the transfiguration, humanity sees God’s glory. But it’s just a tiny taste of the incredible glory of a reigning God who conquered death.

Pastor Kent fills in for Sam this week and unpacks chapter 16 as we continue our journey through Matthew.

Pastor Sam Rainer preaches through every verse of Matthew’s gospel. This sermon covers the challenging passage of Matthew 15:1-39. Jesus offends the Pharisees and then seems to make some controversial comments about Gentiles. But there is a reason. He tests His followers to see if they will persevere in their faith.

Pastor Sam Rainer preaches through every verse of Matthew’s gospel. This sermon covers Jesus’ miracles of feeding thousands and walking on water from Matthew 14:13-36. True courage is derived from God’s presence. Your faith doesn’t grow when life is easy. Your faith grows when you experience a trial, when you are tested, and when a storm hits.

Pastor Sam Rainer preaches through every verse of Matthew’s gospel. This sermon covers the difficult text of Matthew 14:1-12. Herod executes John the Baptist, and Matthew records the challenge of giving your entire life to Christ. The courageous decision is always harder than caving into sin.

Pastor Sam Rainer preaches through every verse of Matthew’s gospel. This Mother’s Day sermon is about a childlike faith, and the text is Matthew 19:13-15. The Bible makes a clear connection between fearing God and a mother’s wisdom. Children are a blessing, so make them a priority. What God gives as blessings should be our priorities.

Pastor Sam Rainer preaches through every verse of Matthew’s gospel. This week’s sermon covers Matthew 13:24-58 and Jesus’ use of parables in his teaching. Crowds of people were responding in faith. Jesus returned to His hometown, Nazareth, but His family and friends quickly rejected Him. Why did Jesus’ hometown not believe? And what is the connection to His parables?

Pastor Sam Rainer preaches through every verse of Matthew’s gospel. This week’s sermon covers Matthew 13:1-23. In this text, Jesus begins to teach in parables. A parable is a little story with a big meaning. The Parable of the Soil is about the condition of your soul. How well do you hear and respond to God’s Word?

Pastor Sam Rainer preaches through every verse of Matthew’s gospel. This week’s sermon covers Matthew 12:22-50. After Jesus heals a demon-possessed man, the religious leaders confront Him. They claim Jesus has struck a deal with Satan, but He challenges their logic. In this text, Jesus reveals the damage of blasphemy and teaches about the nature of evil spirits.

Pastor Sam Rainer preaches through every verse of Matthew’s gospel. This week’s sermon covers Matthew 12:1-21. Is the Sabbath a day of rest, a day for worship, or both? Is the Sabbath still binding today? What is the difference between the Lord’s Day and the Sabbath? Your life is better when you rest for a day and worship. But why?

Pastor Sam Rainer preaches through every verse of Matthew’s gospel. This week’s sermon covers Matthew 11:1-30. In this chapter, the “greatest man,” John the Baptist, doubts Jesus. It’s a low point for John the Baptist. But Jesus is with us, even through the dark valleys. God can take your worst mistakes and make them miracles for His glory. God offers grace on the other side of every failure!

Pastor Sam Rainer preaches through every verse of Matthew’s gospel. This week’s sermon concludes the Easter series with the account of Jesus’ resurrection. Everything we believe hinges on this one thing. Remove the bodily resurrection of Christ, and Christianity has no footing whatsoever.

Pastor Sam Rainer preaches through every verse of Matthew’s gospel. This week’s sermon begins an Easter series and covers the Triumphal Entry and the prophecy about Jerusalem’s destruction in Matthew 21:1-11 and 23:37-24:51. The temple was torn down, stone by stone. But the Kingdom of God is built one person at a time.

Pastor Sam Rainer preaches through every verse of Matthew’s gospel. This week’s sermon covers Matthew 9:35-10:42. Why are people openly hostile to God? The overarching spiritual reason is our sin nature and how we default to rebellion against God. But why are some antagonistic against Christians and the church? And what can the church do to help them?

Pastor Sam Rainer preaches through every verse of Matthew’s gospel. This week’s sermon covers Matthew 9:1-34. In chapters eight and nine, Matthew records several stories of Jesus healing physically. Crowds followed Jesus, in part, because He could heal. Many brought loved ones to Jesus for this reason. But these stories have a clear connection between the physical and spiritual. Faith is the conne...

Pastor Sam Rainer preaches through every verse of Matthew’s gospel. This week’s sermon covers Matthew 8:1-34. Demon possession is real, but believers in Christ do not need to fear. We have the Holy Spirit within us, and our souls cannot be shared with a demon. While believers cannot come under the control of a demon, we can come under attack. That’s why we need spiritual armor!

Pastor Sam Rainer preaches through every verse of Matthew’s gospel. This week’s sermon covers Matthew 7:1-29 and the conclusion of the Sermon on the Mount. Believers should not judge and condemn, but believers should judge and discern. Discernment is a critical spiritual discipline because Satan’s attacks are real. How can we distinguish between being judgmental and exercising discernment?

Pastor Sam Rainer preaches through every verse of Matthew’s gospel. This week’s sermon covers Matthew 6:19-34 and the connection between money and anxiety. Anxiety is fear of losing what you love or getting what you hate. Contentment is internal satisfaction that does not depend upon external circumstances. What connects anxiety to money? Coveting! What is the solution to the problem of coveting?...

Pastor Sam Rainer preaches through every verse of Matthew’s gospel. This week’s sermon covers Matthew 6:1-18 and the issue of Christian hypocrisy. A hypocrite is a person who acts differently than his or her stated beliefs. Everyone will be guilty at times. However, Christian hypocrisy occurs when you make yourself the priority over God. There are six major ways the church can become hypocritical.

Pastor Sam Rainer preaches through every verse of Matthew’s gospel. This week’s sermon covers Matthew 5:17-48 and Matthew 19:1-11. The Sermon on the Mount has several examples of what it means to live righteously. Divorce, in particular, is one area where the church has struggled. Since divorce is common, there are lots of opinions and lots of hurt surrounding the issue. The church should not trea...

Pastor Sam Rainer preaches through every verse of Matthew’s gospel. This week’s sermon covers Matthew 5:1-16 and the first part of the Sermon on the Mount. There is a heavenly perspective and an earthly perspective. We tend to focus on the short-lived, easy satisfaction. Jesus calls us to focus on the eternal.

Pastor Sam Rainer preaches through every verse of Matthew’s gospel. This week’s sermon covers Matthew 4:1-25 and the temptation of Jesus. Temptation is the opportunity to sin prompted by a life circumstance. Proclaim this truth when facing temptation: Satan is not equal to and opposite God. He is defeated and bound by God.