Descending further down the path leading to the cross, Jesus leaves the upper room to pray in the Garden of Gethsemane. This scene reveals Jesus’ heart for sinners and invites us to behold the goodness, beauty, and love of our Savior and comforts...

This week we look at the institution of the Lord’s Supper. Verses 26-29 present this meal in relative simplicity, yet it has resulted in so much disagreement and confusion throughout church history. The account is brief, yet Matthew conveys the...

Daniel 1 defines being in the world and not of it; drawing a line in the sand, Refusing to bow to an idol or just simply praying; the result being thrown in a fiery furnace or to the lions. But eating vegetables? A strange place to draw the line. But...

If we’re honest, grace rubs us the wrong way. In 2 Kings 5, a condemned, decorated war hero gets a rude awakening about grace and why he needs it. He's never needed anything that he couldn't buy or bargain for; a reliance on his own ability that...

Beginning the descent down the road leading to Jesus’ suffering and death, wicked actors scheme but Jesus’ sovereign will in saving his people from sin and death is underway and will be accomplished. We need more than a wise teacher; we need a...

The parable of the sheep and the goats can be a source of fear and introspection; have we done enough to be included with the sheep or will Jesus turn us away? Yet, instead of teaching salvation by works, it reinforces that what matters most is...

The parable of talents is all about judgment; a word that can make us uncomfortable, but a word we need. Jesus gives us these words as a serious warning so that we will respond rightly to him. And yet, these warnings aren’t merely intended to send...

This week’s message is pay attention! Don’t forget that Jesus is coming to judge the living and the dead and end the suffering and pain of this world. The danger is that we forget this reality and slip into a way of life where our lives cease to...

Matthew 24, the Olivet Discourse, is one of the most difficult passages in the Bible. Standing before the Jerusalem Temple, Jesus announces its destruction and his coming at the end of the age. Christians throughout the ages have disagreed on key...

In Matthew 23:13-39, Jesus pronounces seven “woes” against the scribes and Pharisees—warnings that speak to their failure in leadership over Israel. Though a particular message delivered to a particular people, there is so much for all of us,...