Matthew - All Authority
Matthew – All Authority
The Final Word
Matthew 28 The resurrection was God’s final word against sin, Satan and death. Jesus then speaks some final words of instruction to those who claim to follow him. Listen as we consider what it means for us to make disciples of the risen Jesus.
Two ways of seeing the death of Jesus
Matthew 26-27 How are Christians supposed to feel about the death of Jesus … sad? angry? happy? In this message Pastor Murray explores this question. Certainly the events leading to the crucifixion are excruciating. The graphic nature of the gospel accounts is meant to fill us with horror. What Jesus suffered on our behalf was unbelievably cruel. But there was a divine twist to this cruelty. In the tragedy of the cross, God was defeating Satan and opening the way…
No More Questions
The Jewish leaders have been challenging Jesus’ authority in various ways. Now they ask a series of trick questions about the law, in the hope of catching Jesus out. Jesus stuns the crowds with his answers, but eventually he asks them the one question that matters: “Who is Jesus really?” If Jesus is really God, then whether we’re a disinterested unbeliever or a Christian who’s compromising, the one thing we must not do is take Jesus lightly. He is the…
Authority issues
The religious leaders come questioning Jesus’ authority before Jesus rebukes them with three parables which outline the nature of authority in God’s kingdom. We’re left to consider what it means for us to live under the authority of God in His kingdom. Matthew 21:23-22:14
The King Commands Attention
For centuries the Jews had longed for a Messiah-King to save them as a nation. Finally the day came when Jesus presented Himself to them as that King. But what sort of king? A humble King riding on a donkey, yet a fearless King who would overthrow the whole broken religious system. King Jesus reigned from the cross five days later, and He still reigns in the lives of everyone who will receive Him by faith today. Matthew 21:1-22
Too big to get in
Jesus’ encounter with the rich ruler reminds us that eternal life belongs to those come to Jesus like children, trusting not in themselves, but in the God who does the impossible. Matthew 19:13-3
The Question of Divorce
When some Pharisees come to Jesus with a legal question about divorce, Jesus responds by pointing them to the masterpiece of marriage in its perfectly created form. Although we live in a broken world He urges us to preserve marriage by being faithful, forgiving failures and pursuing unity. Matthew 19: 1-12
Distinctives of true disciples of Jesus
The disciples of Jesus were slow learners. But are we any better? We can know the theory of Christian living yet struggle to put it into practice. In today’s passage Jesus exposes several important areas where His disciples have much to learn about what it actually looks like to live in God’s kingdom. Things like how we view ourselves, how we treat “little people”, how we deal with our own sinfulness, and how we help our straying Christian friends. This…
A Mountain Top Experience
At the mount of transfiguration, Jesus’ disciples learn lessons about Jesus’ identity, about the path to glory and about true faith. Matthew 17: 1-23
Some lessons about faith
The question – “What does it mean to have faith” – is crucial to understanding what it means to be a Christian. As the Bible says, the opposite of walking by faith is to walk by sight. Faith by its very nature requires an element of risk. And that’s where the rubber hits the road when a person becomes a Christian. It means being willing to trust in Jesus Christ for salvation, for life today and tomorrow, and for eternity. …
Rotten Religion
In this story, the superficial, hypocritical, rotten religion of the Pharisees is on full display. It challenges us to consider whether there are signs of rottenness in our faith and to repent if there is. Matthew 15:1-20
The King’s Identity
In these stories, Matthew weaves a picture of Jesus for us which reminds us of his true identity, and challenges us to view and respond to him rightly. Matthew 13:53-14:36