In this message, Matt introduces a new series in Romans by starting at the end rather than the beginning. Instead of beginning with doctrine and hoping it eventually shapes our lives, we start with the kind of community Paul envisions in chapters 12-15 - marked by humility, peace, and mutual acceptance - and then work backward to discover the gospel that creates such people. The message explores how our identity, when rooted in performance or control rather than Christ's acceptance, shapes our relationships and why trusting God's faithfulness is the foundation for genuine peace.

This Easter message examines the resurrection through the eyes of the first witnesses - people who came to the tomb carrying grief, not certainty. It explores how the empty tomb disrupts our assumptions about what's final and where we look for life, and why the resurrection serves as the validation of everything Jesus claimed. The message invites us to consider that Christianity is fundamentally about a relationship with the living God, not merely a set of beliefs or moral framework.

This message examines why the cross - an instrument of death and humiliation - became the central symbol of Christianity. It explores both the physical and spiritual suffering Jesus endured, the supernatural power released through his death (forgiveness, access to God, reconciliation, and victory over evil), and what it means to be a person of the cross today.

This message explores Jesus' entry into Jerusalem - a moment when crowds celebrated the arrival of a king they didn't yet understand. While the scene appears triumphant with palm branches and shouts of "Hosanna," Jesus arrives on a donkey rather than a warhorse, signaling a kingdom built on humility rather than military power. The message examines the tension between the crowd's expectations and Jesus' actual mission, and asks what it means to move from admiration to genuine allegiance. It's a story about recognizing what kind of king Jesus really is - and what following him actually requires.

This message explores how life-changing moments often begin with simple invitations. Through three parables in Luke 15 and stories from the early church, we see that God's heart is for people who are far from him to come home—and that ordinary believers have always been the ones who help make that happen. As we approach Easter, we're encouraged to think about the one person in our lives who might be open to taking a step toward God, and to consider extending a simple invitation: "Come and see."

In this message, we examine how pride quietly takes control of our lives, distorting how we see ourselves and others. Through Romans 12:3 and Jesus' teaching in Matthew 7, we explore why self-examination is so difficult and why we're tempted to judge others instead of looking honestly at ourselves. The message concludes with a practical exercise in self-examination across four areas—anger, worry, desire, and pride—reminding us that we never stop with guilt, but always end with the assurance of God's complete forgiveness through Christ.

In this message, we examine Jesus' parable of the Pharisee and the tax collector to understand why pride is uniquely difficult to recognize in ourselves. While anger feels dangerous and worry feels exhausting, pride feels justified—convincing us we're still in control even as it cuts us off from God and others. Through this uncomfortable story, Jesus reveals that self-righteousness is incompatible with love and shows us how the tax collector's simple prayer of humility—"God, have mercy on me, a sinner"—opens the door to genuine connection with God. The message challenges us to honestly examine our hearts for judgmentalism and superiority, reminding us that we all live by grace.

This message challenges the false choice between gratifying all our desires and eliminating them entirely, proposing instead that God invites us to transform and reorder what we want. Drawing on Scripture and the lives of biblical figures like Lydia, Paul, and David, the teaching examines five categories of desire, material, achievement, relational, physical, and recreational, showing how each reflects aspects of God's character and creation. The key question isn't whether we should want things, but whether our desires are properly ordered, leading us toward love, generosity, and joy rather than selfishness and isolation. When desire is aligned rather than eliminated or indulged, it becomes one of the primary ways we experience God's presence and goodness in everyday life.

In this message, Matt examines the story of the Ethiopian eunuch in Acts 8 to explore why sincere believers often delay obedience, not through rebellion, but through perpetual postponement. Through one official's question, "What can stand in the way of my being baptized?", we're challenged to examine the gap between internal belief and visible action, and to consider what might actually be preventing us from taking the next step of faith. The message addresses how intellectual thoughtfulness can mask fear, how achievement-based identity conflicts with gospel identity, and what it means to choose alignment with God even when fear is present.

In this message, we explore how desire, unlike other emotions, feels good, which makes it particularly dangerous when it begins to control our lives. Using practical examples, we walk through the progression from initial attraction to bondage, identifying the key steps down the wrong road: quenching the Spirit, hiddenness, ethical violations, and slavery. We also present a path toward freedom through honest prayer, resolution, emotional realignment, and ultimately, liberation from desires that have taken control. This message offers both warning and hope for anyone who wants to ensure their desires serve them rather than enslave them.