January 28, 2024
|
Matthew 20:25-28
We live in a day when many of us are drifting along without a guiding purpose in life. Or we’ve bought into the culture’s idea that happiness and fulfillment come from self gratification, of owning material things and having exciting experiences. Yet we still come up feeling empty and unfulfilled. Or we think that being successful, or being the greatest at something will fulfill us. But as many who have achieved worldly success have said, “It’s lonely at the top.” Because they left behind family or stepped on or over friends while climbing the so-called ladder of success. So how do find our purpose? How do we find ourselves?
Jesus says that the way to greatness, the way to leadership, is serving others. Jesus calls us to be servant leaders. In the book of Matthew, the mother of James and John asked Jesus to give her sons seats of authority in His kingdom. Jesus answered that leadership in His kingdom meant first becoming a servant. We can follow Christ’s call to servant leadership.
January 7, 2024
|
Matthew 4:18-22
Our world has gotten overwhelming and complicated. Everything in your life takes up space. Whether it’s mental space, physical space, relational space or calendar space, you only have so much room.
How can we make space in our lives for what really matters? What if there was one singular and simple secret for having less useless and harmful clutter in your life and having more space for a better life? In the book of Matthew, Jesus called His disciples by simply saying, “Follow me.” Jesus called them to a relationship with Him that would lead them into full and abundant life, a better life. Of course, this meant leaving many other things behind. Jesus makes this same simple call to us. How do we answer His call?
September 24, 2023
|
Matthew 5:10-16
|
recovery
Every committed Christ-follower will face persecution. It’s inevitable wherever light and darkness intersect. Yet, we don’t have to be afraid. We can even live out a blessed life and be a blessing when persecuted.
In Matthew’s gospel, Jesus taught His disciples how to be a blessing even when people persecuted them for following Him. We can be a blessing even when we’re persecuted for following Jesus.
July 2, 2023
|
Matthew 28:18-20
|
discipleship, life on life discipleship
Jesus has given us a Great Commission to be and make disciples together! Yet, we often neglect this command. You can decide to be a disciple of Jesus and to obey His command to come together and make disciples.
In the gospel of Matthew, the resurrected Jesus commanded his followers to go and make disciples of all nations. We call this the Great Commission. This commission was given to all of His disciples together, which is another way of saying He commissioned the Church. We can obey Christ’s commission to the Church by making disciples together.
February 19, 2023
|
Matthew 11:28-30
Are you mindful of your soul? How are you doing in the deepest places of your life? Are you wasting away from within? Is your soul withering due to lack of care? How much attention do you give to your own soul?
We often think if only we could change our circumstances, then we would be happier, more at peace. But the truth is, there is a place deep within us that only the Lord can touch, that only He can heal and restore. In the gospel according to Matthew, Jesus invited his hearers to come to him for rest and renovation of their souls. We can answer Christ’s call to come to him for rest and renovation of our souls.
December 18, 2022
|
Matthew 2:1-12
|
christmas
What is worship? It’s whatever you value or love the most. It’s what you spend your time, talent and treasure for as your greatest source of significance and security. That’s worship. It’s whatever or whoever you ascribe the greatest worth to. Ironically Christmas might be the most difficult time of the year to truly worship God because we are tempted to put more of our affections on material things and spending money.
Don’t you feel the tension? Don’t you feel the pressure to spend more money than you have in order to give your kids everything on their list? You want everyone to be happy and you want to be happy, so you spend, spend, spend… And the more you spend, the less it feels like Christmas. Or what it’s supposed to mean. In the gospel of Matthew, the story of the birth of Jesus is told within the political backdrop of the times. From the beginning there was a battle between worshiping the true King and the false king Herod that had usurped His Throne. The challenge for us is to remove our worship from the false king and to put our worship on the true King, Jesus Christ.
April 17, 2022
|
Matthew 28:1-10
|
easter
Have you really looked at the implications of the empty tomb? Because the empty tomb means that the resurrected Jesus has overcome sin, death and the grave! Are overcome by shame and guilt because of some sin, or habit, or addiction? In Christ, you are forgiven and empowered to overcome it! Are you grieving the loss of a relationship or the death of a loved one? In Christ, we grieve, but not as those who have no hope. In Christ, the dead live again! Are you anxious and filled with fear? In Christ, we can overcome fear with faith in Him.
In the gospel according to Matthew, he recorded the instructions given to those who rightly beheld Christ’s empty tomb. When we rightly behold Christ’s empty tomb, we can obey these instructions.
January 24, 2021
|
Matthew 6:19-34
|
finances, financial stewardship
What’s your mission in life? Is it to make more money and own more things? Wouldn’t you love to stop living for things? And to start really living the way God intended?
In the gospel of Matthew, Jesus gave His followers a new mission to stop living things and to start living for God. We can follow Christ’s new mission to stop living for things and to start living for God.
January 10, 2021
|
Matthew 25:14-30
|
finances, financial stewardship
You already have a “mindset” about money. Everyone does. Some are spenders and some are savers. Some are givers and some are takers. What’s your mindset on money?
November 1, 2020
|
Matthew 22:37-40
|
rise up
Whenever God wants to get a work done, He lays hold of a people who are willing to rise up. In the Old Testament, it was Nehemiah and those returning from Babylonian exile who answered the call of God to Rise Up. Today, God is calling us! In Matthew 28:19, Jesus called us to make disciples. But what should they look like?
In Matthew 22:37-40, Jesus said that the greatest commandment was to love God with all your heart and to love your neighbor as yourself. We believe that’s the kind of disciples He wants us to make–– disciples of Jesus who have a heart for God, for each other, and for our world.