Matthew: The King and His Kingdom
Matthew 28:16-20 - The Great Commission
April 16, 2023 • Pastor Jim Thomas • Matthew 28:16–20
After Jesus died and rose again from the tomb, He gave His disciples what has come to be called the Great Commission. What does that term mean and how does it relate to our role with God’s mission in the world? How does our understanding of God’s mission help define who we are to be as God’s people and Christ’s followers? If Christians have been entrusted with the great news that God in Christ is restoring all of His creation, how should that impact the way we live out the Great Commission in a world bound by the darkness it loves more than the light it so desperately needs? Join Pastor Jim as he helps us learn how to lovingly persuade postmodern hearts and minds, even as they flounder in the quicksands of intellectual confusion and moral relativism, of the biblical claim that Jesus Christ really is “the way, the truth and the life.”
Matthew 28:1-15 - The Resurrection of Jesus Christ
April 9, 2023 • Pastor Jim Thomas • Matthew 28:1–15
Christians all over the world believe in the physical death, burial and resurrection of Jesus of Nazareth. Was the resurrection of Jesus hoax or history? What kinds of evidence exist for the claim that Jesus rose again? What impact does the resurrection have on those who put their trust in Christ? The power of the resurrection is central to the Christian faith and rooted in the faithfulness of God. Followers of Jesus Christ have an inextinguishable hope because Christ has defeated death and the Gospel promises that believers will share in His victory. Join Pastor Jim as he leads us through Matthew’s account of the resurrection of Jesus and the hope that fills us to overflowing with a trembling joy.
Matthew 27:32-66 - The Power of the Cross of Christ
April 2, 2023 • Pastor Jim Thomas • Matthew 27:32–66, 1 John 2:2
John Stott has said, “When we look at the cross, we see the justice, love, wisdom and power of God. It is not easy to decide which is the most luminously revealed.” How is it possible that the death of Christ on the cross reflects all of that? What difference does the death of Jesus 2000 years ago really make? Why did Jesus really die on the cross? What was accomplished through the cross of Christ? And what difference does it make for us so many years later? Join Pastor Jim as he leads us through a study of the crucifixion, death and burial of Jesus of Nazareth as recorded in Matthew’s Gospel.
Matthew 27:1-31 - The Approach to the Cross
March 26, 2023 • Pastor Tommy Bailey • Matthew 27:1–31, Matthew 16:21, 2 Corinthians 7:10
Matthew 27 begins in the early morning of Friday of the Passion week. Jesus has been personally betrayed by Judas, stood trial before the religious leaders and is now being handed over to the Roman political authority, Pontius Pilate, to be sentenced to death. Jesus is silent as He faces the malicious lies and deceit of the accusers before Him. His silence reveals an immeasurable confidence and trust in His Father. Confidence in His good plans and purposes for the salvation of His people. Trust in the sovereignty of His Father’s hand over the plans of men. Join Pastor Tommy as we study together the approach of Jesus to the cross and what it means for us today.
Matthew 26:30-75 - Jesus in the Garden
March 19, 2023 • Pastor Matt Pierson • Matthew 26:30–75, Ephesians 1:7
Events are happening quickly now late in Holy Week, en route to the cross. After their Passover meal, Jesus and His disciples go to the the Mount of Olives and the Garden of Gethsemane. Jesus is overcome with sorrow and anguish as He prays for His Father’s will regarding the cup of suffering, of which He will partake. Jesus is betrayed by Judas Iscariot, arrested by a crowd, taken to Caiaphas and the Sanhedrin and is denied by Simon Peter. Join Pastor Matt as he leads us through this passage which speaks of trust, obedience, betrayal and forgiveness.
Matthew 26:1-29 - The Institution of the Lord's Supper
March 5, 2023 • Scotty Smith • Matthew 26:1–29
Guest speaker Scotty Smith teaches through Matthew 26:1-29. As the plot to kill Jesus takes shape, He gathers with His disciples and institutes the Lord's Supper – an event we commemorate in the Church to this day. Scotty Smith is Teacher in Residence at West End Community Church in Nashville, TN, and Pastor Emeritus at Christ Community Church in Franklin, TN.
Matthew 25:31-46 - Sheep and Goats
February 26, 2023 • Pastor Jim Thomas • Matthew 25:31–46
Most people would claim they want to see justice done. But what is this thing we call “justice” and what does it require? Will there ever be a time when justice is realized? In Matthew 25 where Jesus talked about the end of time, His return to judge the world, and His plan to separate the sheep from the goats, just what did He mean by all of that? Join Pastor Jim as he walks us through this passage and shows us how all of this is really good news for those whose hearts long to see justice done and this broken world set right once again.
Matthew 25:1-30 - Waiting, Watching & Working
February 19, 2023 • Pastor Tommy Bailey • Matthew 25:1–30, Ephesians 2:8–9
In Matthew 25:1-30 Jesus employs the use of two parables as He continues to teach His disciples about faithfulness in His Kingdom. These two parables have been likened to searchlights all focusing on one central theme: the Lord will come again when we least expect, and faithful followers of Jesus will show the fruit of genuine faith as they await His return. Appearances can be deceiving. The outward trappings of faith such as church membership, family heritage and religious forms cannot save – only faith in Jesus. But faith in Jesus — even the smallest measure of faith — can and will result in joyful obedience to Him as we await His return. Join Pastor Tommy as he explores these parables and helps us understand Jesus’ call to be prepared for His return.
Matthew 24 - The Beginning of the End
February 12, 2023 • Pastor Jim Thomas • Matthew 24
Matthew 24 offers us a record of what Bible scholars have come to call the “Mount Olivet Discourse." This is the second-longest teaching segment of Jesus we find recorded in Matthew’s gospel. Here we read of the disciples gawking at the magnificent structure of the Jewish Temple and Jesus responding with what had to seem like a strange prediction: He said “not one stone here shall be left upon another, which will not be torn down.” What was the significance of that statement by Jesus and what does it tell us about Him? In the rest of Matthew 24, Jesus talks about the signs of the End Times, Christ's glorious return and how we who follow Christ can best prepare for both. A lot of what’s found here reads like today’s news feed. What hope can we have and in what ways does Jesus say believers should respond? Join Pastor Jim as he walks us through some of the major views on the End Times, the return of Christ and the Eschatological sequence of events leading up to the consummation of God’s kingdom.
Matthew 23 - From Woes to Worship
February 5, 2023 • Pastor Jim Thomas • Matthew 23
As we come to study Matthew 23, the context is the Passover week in first century Jerusalem. The hillsides, roads and Temple precincts are jammed with pilgrims who have come to present their sacrifices, and there is mounting tension in the air between the religious leaders of that time and the carpenter turned rabbi and healer, Jesus of Nazareth. We find ourselves drawn in, wondering what will ultimately happen between them. As we look back through history, sometimes the final public words of a person in a given setting can have the greatest lasting impact. In Matthew 23 Jesus delivers a withering rebuke of the religious leaders for their spiritual corruption and self-aggrandizement. What was Jesus thinking and what was His purpose in all of this? And what, if anything, of what Jesus had to say to them on that day might also apply to us in our own time, and in our life with God? Join Pastor Jim as he helps us see the gospel hope placed on offer, even to the hardest hearts, spoken through the sternest words of Jesus on that day.
Matthew 22:15-46 - A Coin, a Casket and a Commandment
January 29, 2023 • Pastor Matt Pierson • Matthew 22:15–46, 1 Corinthians 2:9
During Holy Week, Jesus engages with the Pharisees, Sadducees and Herodians as they all seek to trap Him politically, theologically and legally. Jesus’ answers to their questions leave them marveling and the crowds astonished as He deals with a variety of issues: what does citizenship and allegiance look like? What will heaven be like? How does God want us to live in the here and now? And lastly Jesus asks them a question they cannot answer: whose son is the Christ?
Matthew 21:33-22:14 - You’ve Been Invited!
January 22, 2023 • Pastor Jim Thomas • Matthew 21:33—22:14
Jesus often taught in parables to help His listeners understand more about who He was and is, what He was up to while He walked the planet, and what it means to join Him in the kingdom of heaven. How should we understand the Gospel and the Kingdom of Heaven in our own day and time? Sometimes it helps to begin with what it is not. The Gospel of Jesus is not a demand for us to do something; it is a declaration of what God has done for us in the person and work of Jesus Christ; it is an invitation, an offer. Jesus is inviting us to enter His kingdom and live our lives under His righteous reign and sovereign rule. Who wouldn’t want that? Join Pastor Jim as he leads us through two of the fascinating parables Jesus used to teach us more about the Gospel and what it means to live life with Jesus as your King.
Matthew 21:23-32 - The Freedom of Divine Authority
January 15, 2023 • Pastor Jim Thomas • Matthew 27:15–18, Matthew 28:18–20, Matthew 21:23–32, Matthew 7:28–29
Both the words and works of Jesus displayed a unique authority which attracted thousands of followers to Him, but at the same time, created a great amount of tension between Jesus and the religious establishment of that time. How do we respond to the idea of Jesus’ divine authority in our own day and time, especially when it comes to understanding who we are in Christ, our role as members of God’s kingdom, and the way we should conduct ourselves in this present world? Join Pastor Jim as he helps us understand the great freedom of living life under the sovereign rule and reign of King Jesus!
Matthew 21:1-22 - Waving Palms and Withered Trees
January 8, 2023 • Pastor Tommy Bailey • Matthew 21:1–22, Psalm 121:1–2
Matthew 21 is a transition point in the life of Jesus from His public ministry toward His mission to the cross and resurrection. The text tells us that Jerusalem was “stirred up” as Jesus entered the city during Passover. He came on a donkey, not a warhorse. The King had arrived, although not in the way we might have expected. When Jesus entered the temple, He drove out the corrupt and welcomed in the blind and crippled. Some in the crowds asked, “Who is this?” Join Pastor Tommy as he helps us consider together the various responses to Jesus. Some responded with indignation and rejection, others with wavering curiosity, still others with worship. Are we stirred? If so, how will we respond?
Matthew 20 - The Upside-Down Kingdom of Jesus
November 13, 2022 • Pastor Jim Thomas • Matthew 20
Matthew 20 opens up with Jesus scrambling all the usual ideas of fairness and equity. How do things in God’s economy work? What about commonly embraced principles of fair play and getting what we deserve? How is the Christian gospel starkly different in essence from the concepts of moral merit and/or karma? The last half of the chapter describes two requests made of Jesus: the first from a proud mother on behalf of her two sons; the second, the cries for mercy from two poor blind beggars. How did Jesus respond in each of these cases? What does this tell us about King Jesus? Join Pastor Jim as he highlights the wonders of God’s extravagant grace we find in the upside-down kingdom of Jesus!