 Matthew 16:13-20
In any time, there are always many reasons to wonder whether Christianity can survive much farther into the future. Yet, regardless of the challenges, Christians can rest assured that the Church will survive the worst her enemies can muster. This confidence rests squarely upon Jesus's promise to Peter, "I will build my church," (Matt. 16:18).
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 Matthew 16:1-4
Jesus teaches that evidence of what God is doing in our time in history is as plain as a brilliant red sunset. But that does not mean that those signs are easy to understand. The experts in religion in Jesus's day were baffled by the signs of the kingdom of God that stared them in the face. Expert Bible knowledge is necessary, but there is much more to it than that. Disciples are expected to learn how to listen to God as he leads his Church through each season of history.  Matthew 15:21-28
What's going on when our prayers seem to "fall on deaf ears" in heaven? Why would a good God not be quick to come to our rescue? Matthew tells us about a time when Jesus was accosted by a Canaanite woman. Jesus was very reluctant to help her -- her daughter was tormented by a demon. As we think about the story, we learn valuable lessons about our own relationship with God. We are inspired again to worship God in the name of Jesus.  Matthew 15:10-20
It is always tempting to try to overcome our shortcomings by ourselves. "Self-improvement" is a primary value of our times. But Jesus reminds us that the problem is rooted in our own hearts and minds. In this lesson, we consider how Jesus calls us to seek God's help in the transformation of our soul.  Matthew 15:1-9
We pass on knowledge and wisdom from one generation to the next through a tradition process. When it comes to teaching our children and others to understand the Bible, that process requires using our own words to explain God's words. Jesus warns religious teachers to avoid the sin of replacing God's words with our words. We must be sure our hearts are always loyal only to God, to worship him in our teaching.  Matthew 14:22-33
Many forces in the world today conspire against Christian faithfulness. Daily news cycles and Facebook posts seem to beg us to become discouraged in our resistance to a culture more ungodly by the year. In Matthew's account of a perilous sea crossing by Jesus' first disciples encourages us to stay faithful to Jesus against these forces that tempt us to give up.  In Matthew 5:16, Jesus teaches that his disciples are to do their good works in such a way that God receives the glory. This sermon considers how that works when God is the source of his own glory.
 Matthew 13:51-52
Jesus concludes a series of parables about the kingdom of God with a parable about understanding his teaching about the kingdom of God. Those who understand, according to Jesus, are able to bring out new things along with the old things in the collection of Christian wisdom.  Matthew 13:47-50
Everyone is good for something. The key is to remember that "good" must be according to God's purposes. That is how we will be judged after all is said and done.  Matthew 13:44-46
Jesus tells a parable about hidden treasure and another about an extraordinary pearl. Both stories highlight the joy of discovering what a person never dreamed of finding. Jesus says this is what it's like to find the Kingdom of God. Both stories also include the tell-tale sign that a person has truly found the kingdom of God. |
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