This week, Father's Day, Rick teaches from Matthew 1:23 and 2:6. He uses these verses and others from the Old and New Testaments to show the characteristics of God the Father that are demonstrated through the birth of Christ. God the Father is Faithful, Powerful, and Vulnerable. Faithfulness and goodness are not very productive without having power. And how do we know that God is faithful and powerful? Because of His vulnerability. God has chosen to be with us on a heart level. To be a part of the larger story, Joseph and Mary were required to be vulnerable and God has called us to the same.
What the Birth of Christ Shows us about God as our Father
June 20, 2021 • Rick Dunn • Matthew 2:6, Zechariah 8:4–6, Isaiah 46:3–9, Hebrews 1:1–11, Matthew 1:23
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Matthew: The People of God
The Kingdom is Near
August 29, 2021 • Matthew 4:17–25
This week, Greg teaches from Matthew 4:17-25. In these verses, Matthew continues to emphasize his main thesis: "Repent. The Kingdom of Heaven is at hand". Through Christ calling the disciples, we are shown what it means to be a follower of Christ. We are to repent, have a change of heart, and do something unimaginable. Matthew also shows us the things we are to be doing as churches and believers: discipleship, teaching, and serving. Christianity is not about Christ making our lives easier. It is about our lives being redefined by the Gospel of the Kingdom and following Christ no matter the consequences.
Dawn for the Dead
August 22, 2021 • Isaiah 9, Matthew 4:12–17, Isaiah 8, John 1:4–5
This week, RD teaches from Matthew 4:12-17 and opened with the question "Who is weary?" He Looks back at Isaiah chapters 8 and 9 to remind us of the despair that the Israelites were in when the promise of Christ coming was made. It is in the places of darkness where Jesus begins His work - He meets people on their worst day. As John 1:5 says, "the light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it." The way to have access to this light is to repent and realine our lives to the Kingdom that is coming.
The Temptation of Jesus
August 15, 2021 • Matthew 4:1–11
This week, Greg teaches from Matthew 4:1-11. These verses tell us about the temptation of Jesus by the devil and what this battle between them tells us about who our God and Savior is. The devil was very cunning in the temptations that he chose and used them because Christ was both God and man. He wanted to put Jesus' flesh and spirit at war with each other. Satan tempts us the same way. He wants us to believe that what God has promised us isn't true and that the easier and faster way is better than holiness. Christ shows us that we learn obedience to God through our suffering and that the goodness of God is worth the suffering.