Matthew #9: A Deeper Devotion (Matthew 6:1-18)

One of the things that has accompanied the rise of the internet and our online connections via social media is an ever-increasing angst over social comparisons – something that has been ringing alarm bells for mental health professionals. The other side of that tends to be the phenomena of “virtue signaling”; expressing opinions or making posts that intimate that a person is deeply concerned and doing something about whatever the latest problem or injustice happens to be (which usually involves posting something or changing a profile picture). Not every accusation of virtue signaling is correct – but there is a very real temptation to try and look a certain way in how we present ourselves online.

Of course, this sort of posery isn’t limited to social media – it saturates politics and workplaces and is present even in family dynamics – but one place that always has a bumper-crop of people trying to look better than they really are is in the realm of religion and the church.

Jesus is going to deal with religious posing in the text we’ll be reading this Sunday as we continue our study in Matthew. We’ll be reading Matt 6:1-18.

Jesus addresses three areas of spiritual devotion and highlights the temptations we face when setting out to put them into practice. He’ll talk about giving, fasting and praying. We’ll sort of jumble up the text on Sunday so as to keep all the themes together (making it easier for a simple-minded teacher to work his way through).

If you were to summarize Jesus’ warnings about giving, fasting and praying , what would you write? Who is supposed to be our primary concern when it comes to these acts of devotion? Why do you think we are so tempted to put the focus somewhere else?

When we look at how Jesus taught us to pray – who are we addressing our prayers to? What title does Jesus give to God? How might we read that differently from God’s other titles, such as Lord or King? How might our trust in a loving, parental Creator help curb our desire for human approval?

There’s a lot we’ll be unpacking in this section – I hope you can join us this Sunday at 10 AM as we dig into the center of the center of Jesus’ Sermon on the Mount!

Click here for a pdf of the teaching slideshow.

Matthew #8: A Deeper Righteousness (Matthew 5:17-48)

We’re going to be continuing our study in Matthew’s account of the Sermon on the Mount this Sunday – we’ll be reading chapter 5:17-48. So far, Jesus has been turning popular concepts on their heads, pointing to the stuff we normally try to avoid in life and saying that is where the good life is found. In the text we’ll read this Sunday, Jesus will drive this idea home through a series of contrasts.

Jesus begins this next section making it clear that he’s not starting some new religion, and he’s not just trying to contradict the Old Testament Law, but his intention is to fulfill it. His coming on the scene is a continuation of the story that was developed in the Old Testament and he is the fulfillment of the promises made to Abraham and David.

While he intends to fulfill the law, he also warns that our righteousness has to exceed that of the Pharisees. What do you believe he means by that? How do we apply that in our present world and time? If adhering to a moral code doesn’t produce righteousness, what do you think will?

Jesus has something else he wants to make clear: the deeper intention behind the Law of Moses. So from v21-48 he presents what have become known as the antitheses’ of the Sermon on the Mount, where Jesus reveals a contrast by putting two different ideas side by side. It will be in the form of “You’ve heard it said…but I say…”.

He will cover themes of murder, lust, adultery, oaths and how to treat our enemies. What is the common thread that you notice to all these themes? Jesus is describing real righteousness that is more than the outward expression of the Pharisees – so how do you think real righteousness is expressed, based on the themes Jesus presents?

When Jesus tells us to present the other side of our face when struck on one side, do you believe he’s telling an abused wife somewhere to just take it? If not, then what would be a good way to understand the nature of Christ’s instructions here? What difference do you think there is between self-defense and retaliation and revenge?

What Jesus is describing is certainly no way to get ahead in this world. We know the rules of this world. If getting ahead in this world isn’t on Jesus’ agenda, what benefit do you think living out this kind of righteousness accomplishes?

This is going to be a challenging study – Hope you can join us this Sunday as we explore the Sermon on the Mount more deeply.

Click here for a pdf of the teaching slideshow.

Matthew #7: Who Is Living The Good Life? (Matthew 5:1-16)

Have you ever looked at someone’s life—on social media or even in real life—and thought, “I wish I had what they have”?

Maybe it’s their home, their family, their vacations, or just the way their life seems so perfectly put together. It’s easy to compare, especially when all we’re seeing are the highlight reels. Social media filters out the grey areas, the struggles, and the sadness, leaving us longing for a version of life that’s curated—not complete.

I know people have looked at my life before and glamorized it without knowing the full story. They see the joyful moments but not the hard-fought battles behind them. That’s the illusion many of us live with in this digital age.

It’s normal to desire a good life. But what’s fascinating is how different “the good life” looks for each person. For me, it might include regular trips to the beach; for someone else, the beach might be the last place they’d want to go. That’s because a good life is subjective—it depends on the eye of the beholder.

This Sunday, we’re exploring what Jesus called “the good life” in the Sermon on the Mount, reading Matthew 5:1-16.
In most Bible translations, we read the word blessed—“Blessed are the poor in spirit…,” and so on. But if we look deeper, starting with the Hebrew context and moving forward, we find that it could also be paraphrased as, “You have a good life when…”

And that’s powerful. Because the kind of life Jesus describes is radically different from what the world calls “good.” It challenges our assumptions, it reshapes our values, and it continues to change lives 2,000 years after it was spoken.Join us this Sunday at 10:00AM as we dive into the Beatitudes and discover how Jesus’ words still speak into our world—and our hearts—today.

Click here for a pdf of the teaching slideshow.

Matthew #6: God's Kingdom Revealed (Matthew 4:12-25)

We recently redid our kitchen – well, we hired someone to redo our kitchen. I remember all the planning and sketches Robbie and I did as we thought up our new space. Then the construction began and the project began to take shape – and it’s quite exhilarating to see a project we’d imagined for so long start to take shape in reality. This Sunday we’ll be reading the last part of Matthew chapter 4 , where Jesus begins his public ministry and we begin to see what the Kingdom of God is like in practice.

In v15-16, Matthew identifies Jesus’ work as a fulfillment of a prophecy given by Isaiah, 600 years earlier. Light dawning on people living in darkness is how the action of the kingdom of God is described. What is your impression of this metaphor? What do you think it means, and how does that inform your understanding of God’s purposes for humanity?

We then read about Jesus’ first disciples. We’ll be unpacking the dynamic of rabbis and talmidim (disciples) on Sunday morning – but succinctly put: if these guys were working in the family fishing business, it was because they didn’t measure up for normal rabbinical activities. Yet Jesus chooses these fishermen to be his close associates who will set out to imitate him. What does that tell us about God’s rule in action? Who is it open to, and what action does he call his disciples to (v19)?

V23-25 provide a summary of the excitement that was building around Jesus. What is it that he is becoming famous and sought out for? What is this revealing about God’s reign in practice – what is the mission of God’s kingdom? In all three of these examples, what is it about this that makes it good news?

Looking forward to this study! Happy Father’s day in advance – I hope you can join us!

Click here for a pdf of the teaching slideshow.

Matthew #5: Staying The Course (Matthew 4:1-11)

We’re coming back to our study in the gospel of Matthew, reading chapter 4:1-11 this Sunday. In stepping into the human experience, Jesus faces temptation to leave God’s intended path for him. In fact, the account of his temptation in the desert is a sweeping overview of the nature of our temptations. Do you ever feel bad for being tempted by things you feel you should have conquered by now? Remember this: Jesus was tempted too. What does that tell us about how we should understand our own temptations? There’s an old saying, attributed to Martin Luther, that states we’re not responsible for the birds that fly overhead, only the one’s we allow to nest in our hair.

The first temptation that is presented to Jesus is found in v1-4. It wasn’t wrong or evil for Jesus to be hungry. He certainly was given power to do miraculous things with bread – he’ll supernaturally provide enough bread to feed thousands of people out in the desert later on in this story. Why was this suggestion to make bread from stones a temptation to sin? Jesus quotes Deut 8:1-3 – read the whole context. Did Israel go hungry in the wilderness? Who provided for them? How does that help us understand what “living by God’s word” means?

Next Jesus is tempted to jump from the highest point in the temple (v5-7). Again, this is similar to something Jesus will do later on – he won’t walk on air, but he’ll walk on water, defying the laws of physics. What is the temptation to sin in this suggestion of stepping out in faith that God will rescue him? What clue do we get from Jesus’ response in v7?

The final temptation recorded in this account is in v8-11. Once again we have the contrast of human kingdoms with God’s kingdom. Worship me, the devil says, and you will be King of kings. Interesting, since that is ultimately what Jesus is called – and the last book of the Bible says in Revelation 11:15 that the kingdoms of this world will become the kingdoms of our Lord. Why is this a sin if it’s the fulfillment of his destiny anyway? What does Jesus have to go through in order to be exalted? What sort of King of kings and Lord of lords does it make him when he was willing to die for us?

In each of these temptations there is a forecast of something Jesus will ultimately do. The difference is in how it gets fulfilled, and by whom. Where do we look for our fulfillment as human beings? A lot of things in this world promise fulfillment and wholeness – but Who holds the true source of wholeness? What has your experience been in looking for fulfillment in the things we can grasp for in this broken world? How can that instruct us?

I think this will be a challenging, yet hopeful study! Hope you can join us on Sunday!

Click here for a pdf of the teaching slideshow.

Matthew #4: Preparing The Way (Matthew 3)

Remember how, before Hurricane Michael, when the storm season came around we only gave it our mild interest. Post-Michael, I haven’t yet met someone who doesn’t follow Mike’s Spaghetti models with grave intentionality between June and November. Experience and expectation really goes a long way in shaping our responses to the warnings we get from NOAA.

As we continue our study in Matthew this week we’ll be reading chapter 3.  We’re going to be introduced to a human GFS model – John the Baptist, who will be announcing the arrival of the Messiah and the launch of God’s kingdom invasion.

As you read John’s message, what does his major theme seem to be? What is he calling people to do? What do you think his instructions meant to a Jewish person living in the first century? What does that mean to us, as 21st Century Americans? What sort of radical changes have taken place in your life as a result of embracing the Good News of Jesus?

The Pharisees and Sadducees show up too, and John doesn’t give them the greeting they are accustomed to. What does he seem to highlight as the problem with these religious leaders? Why does he call them “the offspring of snakes”? Thinking back through the Biblical narrative, do you remember a forecast of “the offspring of the serpent” bruising someone’s heel? There’s going to be a lot to unpack in this section that I’m really excited about!

When Jesus shows up he does something that surprises everyone, including John. He gets in line for his turn to be baptized. John is nonplussed. “You’re the Messiah, come to save us from sin…I need to be baptized by you…what do YOU need to repent of?” It’s a puzzling scene to this day. Jesus said he needed to do it to, in the Greek, “fulfill all righteousness”. In other words – the righteousness, the setting things right that God intends comes through a Messiah who stands in the river with humanity, identifying with them, protecting them in their corrupted, vulnerable state. What does this tell us about what it means to “fulfill righteousness”?

I’m so stoked to dig into this text – Hope to see you Sunday!

Click here to view a pdf of the teaching slideshow.

Matthew #3: Reactions To The King (Matthew 2:1-23)

There’s a famous optical illusion drawing that, depending on how a person perceives the image, shows an elderly woman or a young lady with her head turned away from us.

You can see it here – and what’s fascinating is while one person may see a young lady and another an older person, the image itself is unchanged – only our perception and interpretation of the image.

We’re going to be continuing our study in the Gospel of Matthew this Sunday, and we’ll be reading about some very different reactions and responses to the news that the Messiah King had been born in Israel. It was perceived as either good or bad news, depending on what a person may have felt was at stake in the arrival of a new King.

We’ll be reading Matthew 2:1-23.

The text introduces us to some characters that we’ll have to try and get familiar with.

We’ll meet King Herod (or Herod the Great) who was the Roman puppet ruler over Israel at that time. We’ll also meet the Magi, or Wise Men as our modern translations call them. They are apparently court astrologers who travel from the East because they observed astronomical phenomena that they interpreted as the portent of the arrival of an important King.

We’ll also hear from the religious scribes, the keepers of the Torah. All of these people react to the news of the birth of Messiah – and all of them react differently. What do the Magi state as their intentions? What does Herod say he wants to do compared with what he does? Who is this text portraying in a positive way, and who is negatively represented? What might we infer from that?

We’re going to pay attention the the tension and conflict that emerges as Jesus comes on the scene and consider what that tells us about the world we live in, as well as the condition of our own hearts.

It will be both a challenge and an encouragement! Hope you can join us this Sunday at 10 AM!

Click here for a pdf of the teaching slideshow.

Matthew #2: The Beginning Of A New Life (Matthew 1:18-25)

This Sunday, we will be continuing our study in the book of Matthew. Last week, we studied the genealogy of Jesus and learned just how messy family can be. Thankfully, God never seems shocked by the mess, and he certainly is never stopped by it.

On Sunday, we will read the account of Mary’s pregnancy from Joseph’s perspective. This is not typically the version we read on Christmas morning, but that doesn’t mean it lacks wisdom and insight.

There are several references to the Old Testament in this scripture that we will study together. One mention is the Holy Spirit bringing new life. What other stories from the Old Testament mention the Holy Spirit bringing new life?

There are actually a few references of this happening in scripture, and noting their connection will help us grasp how the Bible is a unified story that leads to Jesus. I’m looking forward to showing the various ways these stories work together. I hope you can join us this Sunday as we look at the deeper meaning found in the scripture.

Click here for a pdf of the teaching slideshow.

Matthew #1: Heralding The King (Matthew 1:1-17)

This Sunday we’ll be starting a new series in the Gospel of Matthew. I made the commitment a few years back to regularly revisit the story of Jesus, even though I’ve taught through these gospel accounts before. I just honestly believe that Christians need to spend more time with Jesus – meditating on what he taught, considering his example (and what it means for us), and learning to view life through the lens of God’s Kingdom, as Jesus challenged us to do.

Matthew is the first book of the New Testament and it launches us right into God fulfilling the promises he made to Abraham and sending the One the prophets had been forecasting through the ages. The cryptic message is scattered all through the Hebrew Bible: “Someone is coming who will redeem and restore”!

That’s all pretty exciting, until we start reading and realize we get dropped right into a lengthy genealogy. Don’t let it throw you. That’s what we’ll be looking at this Sunday – Matthew 1:1-17 – and we’ll consider what that list of names can actually tell us (and it’s pretty great)!

We’ll also take a look at just what “gospel” means and why it’s associated with Jesus. I hope you can join us as we begin this amazing journey into the life of Christ!

Click here for a pdf of the teaching slideshow.