Jesus’ journey to the cross was both because of us and for us. We must see ourselves in the shoes of those there that day. But we must also see ourselves in the heart of Jesus as he journeyed to the cross.
My purpose in life is to love God and love others. I cannot do that unless I follow Jesus.
All of history has been overshadowed by darkness and death… until Jesus entered the world to offer us the light of life.
Jesus return is a matter of when not if. In light of his return and the task of making disciples, Jesus lays out what faithful generosity looks like
We live in a world that is increasingly busy. Screen time, work, study, and a thousand other things keep us moving from morning to night. In the busyness of everyday life we can forget about our God given purposes and responsibility. Yet with the appearing of Jesus we will all give an account for the use of our time, talents, and treasure. In Matthew 25:14–30 we have a parable challenging us on how to maximize our opportunities and God-given responsibilities.
Matthew isn’t so much concerned with presenting the evidence for the resurrection but instead the implications of Jesus rising back to life. Jesus’ last words provide a clarity, a challenge and a comfort.
Before his ascension Jesus commissioned his followers to take the good news message out to the world. But what does that look like? What does it look for a modern follower to be a disciple of Jesus? What is our mission as the people of God. In Matthew 28:16–20 Jesus calls not only the eleven disciples, but all of us who know him to take his good news to the world.
We all hate a cover-up But what if Jesus’ resurrection was a scam? Matthew outlines two attempts to cover-up the fact that Jesus really did rise from the grave and shows us what the right response looks like.
The resurrection of Jesus is central to Christian hope. Three days after the brutal arrest and death of Jesus the most glorious of statements is made by angelic hosts. ‘He has risen!’ The resurrection of Jesus changes everything. Hope in the midst of chaos, life in the face of death, victory over the powers of sin and death. All of this comes, ‘just as he said.’ Because Jesus’s word is sure we can trust his promises for our futures.
Jesus hangs on the cross as humanity mock “save yourself, if you can”. Yet in Jesus, God was saving those very ones who mocked him. Jesus could have saved himself, but didn’t, because we can’t.
“My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?”. How was Jesus forsaken and why? How does Jesus bring rescue and acceptance with God?
Rejection and betrayal hurts deeply. In this account Jesus is rejected by a friend, his disciples, and a large crowd. This betrayal, however, is part of God’s larger plan that will bring not rejection, but reconciliation for rebels.
That Christ will return is a certainty, the exact date is a mystery. In the meantime, Jesus wants us to prepared for his imminent return.
The second coming of Jesus Christ is the subject of interest to many. When will he return? Are we living in the last days just before his return? What should we expect when he returns? In Matthew 24 Jesus assures his disciples of his return and shapes both our expectation of when that will occur and how we should live in the meantime.
We all fear something or someone. You can choose to fear a good master or a bad one. Will you fear the one who wants to save you, or the one who wants to drag you down?
Have you ever had your reality shattered? Perhaps you have experienced betrayal in a relationship, had your identity stolen or maybe you bought a used car that turned out to be a lemon! Today Jesus will confront us with reality by telling us a story and showing us a stone. Those who understand and believe the story will be amazed and marvel! Those who reject will be shattered suddenly and irreversibly by the stone.
Jesus challenges who and what we think greatness is. Jesus uses a child to teach about what greatness is. Jesus teaches that greatness is shown in dependence, humility and in helping others.
There are no more significant questions that we should think about than ‘where we will spend eternity?’ In this account Jesus gives us certainty as to how we can enter into his Kingdom.
In the chaos and noise of the world it is easy to become overwhelmed, distracted, and confused. In the midst of this how can we remain connected with God and cultivate a relationship with him. In this unique section of Matthew’s gospel we get an astonishing vision of Jesus that calls us to awaken from spiritual slumber as we see his majesty revealed.
