Join Lew as he walks through the story of Balaam.

Key Passage: Numbers 22-24

Speaker: Lew Worrad

Whether we realize it or not, whether we understand it or not, and whether we believe it or not, we are all at war (Eph 6:10–11). This particular war is not over territory, money, or national peace. This is a war for the human heart and it has been raging for millennia with countless casualties. The Creator God wants our hearts—our reciprocated love, our unwavering loyalty, our undiluted adoration—things he’s clearly owed. The Enemy, on the other hand, wants to prevent that from happening, to steal or distract our attention so we will experience the terrible consequences that always accompany idolatry.

Whether or not we realize it, understand it, or believe it, we are in a war for our hearts every moment of every day. Is there hope of winning? How do we advance? Can we avoid missteps and setbacks? What’s the key to victory?

Key Passage: Matthew 15:1–20

Series: Matthew: Of King and Kingdom

Speaker: Josiah Boyd

Most cellphones today come equipped with passcodes, facial recognition software, fingerprint scanning capabilities, and multistep-step user  verification. Why? It’s all for the purpose of ensuring that whoever is accessing the information stored inside the device is the person who should be accessing all the information stored inside the device! We understand that failure to identify—or misidentifying—the one using the phone can bring frustration, inconvenience, danger, and even harm. Simply stated, identity recognition and conformation can be serious business.

What’s true of cellphone access and private data is exponentially (and eternally) more true about the person of Jesus Christ. Failing to rightly recognize, confirm, and prioritize the true identity of the Saviour has dire consequences. There simply could not be more at stake.

Key Passage: Matthew 13:53–14:36

Series: Matthew: Of King and Kingdom

Speaker: Josiah Boyd

As one reads the gospel according to Matthew, a pattern can be identified in how the author, inspired by the Holy Spirit, presents his account of the life and ministry of Jesus Christ, alternating between  stories about Jesus and teachings of Jesus. The book opens with the story about Jesus’s birth and ministry preparation (chs. 1–4) followed by a robust teaching on kingdom principles (chs. 5–7). Matthew then records stories about Jesus performing claim-authenticating miracles (chs. 8–9) before recounting a teaching that prepared his disciples to extend his ministry to Israel (ch. 10). Story again comes next with the climactic confrontation between the Lord and  the Pharisees (chs. 11–12) leading into an exclusively parabolic teaching session before both the crowds and the twelve (ch. 13). It’s this third discourse we conclude today, being reminding of Jesus’s new teaching method, identifying the mysteries he’s presenting, and taking seriously the mission he puts before us.

Key Passage: Matthew 13:31–35, 44–52

Series: Matthew: Of King and Kingdom

Speaker: Josiah Boyd

Anyone walking into a church baptism service might be confused about what was happening. Hot tubs are for back yards or for spas, but in a church? “What is going on?”, they would ask in their confusion, and understandably so. But some believers who should know what is going on may have a shaky understanding as well. They might know that all believers are commanded by Christ to be baptized, and that is true. They might have some idea that it is tied in with declaring your faith publicly, but the rest is kind of sketchy. To help clear away some of the confusion, Dr. Jim Rennie shares 5 words about baptism. Baptism is symbolic of great truths and is rich in meaning.

Key Passage: Selected Scriptures

Speaker: Dr. Jim Rennie

The thirteenth chapter of Matthew’s gospel records an abrupt shift in Jesus’s teaching ministry. Responding to his formal rejection as messianic King by Israel’s leadership (12:24), the Lord pivots from a clear declaration of the nearness of the kingdom of heaven to seemingly simple stories that, as he explains to his disciples, are meant to reveal new kingdom truths to some and, at the very same time, conceal those truths from others (13:11–12).

Today we come to the parable of the tares among wheat, the second parable in total but the first that purposes to uncover a novel kingdom reality. This, like that of the sower before it (13:3–9, 18–23), is a parable that Jesus both tells (13:24–30) and later interprets (13:36–43) for his disciples. From this text we want to grow in our understanding of the parable itself, the mystery it revealed, and the implications for us today.

Key Passage: Matthew 13:24–30, 36–43

Series: Matthew: Of King and Kingdom

Speaker: Josiah Boyd

Up to this point in Matthew’s gospel there has been a consistent and clear proclamation of the nearness of the kingdom of heaven (see 3:2; 4:17; 10:7). Jesus’s ministry had been  one characterized by urgency and excitement, rebuke and invitation. However, opposition had been brewing and, in chapters 11 and 12, it came to a head as Israel’s leadership looked Jesus in the eyes and declared on behalf of the nation, “We don’t believe you and we don’t want you” (see 12:24)! This rejection was labelled by the Lord as unforgivable (12:32) and irreversible (12:37).

A thoughtful reader of Matthew’s gospel has to ask at this point, what now? Israel, having waited centuries for their messianic King, shunned him when he finally arrived! What’s this rejected Christ going to do now? Matthew 13 records Jesus’s reaction and the necessary but calculated shift that takes place in his ministry going forward.

Key Passage: Matthew 13:1–23

Series: Matthew: Of King and Kingdom

Speaker: Josiah Boyd

When I was a kid, I used to hate going on road trips. I would get really bored, and even when there were things like books I wanted to read or video games I wanted to play, I used to have fairly significant motion sickness, so those options weren’t usually viable for more than a few minutes. So whenever we were going on a trip, my mom would take some steps and make preparations to try and make it as bea

The result was, after a certain point in time, while I probably wouldn’t say I loved road trips, I at least stopped actively hating them so much. They were more bearable when we prepared for the journey.

But often what is most important is having an idea of what to expect when we get there. Well, like the Psalms of Ascents that we looked at a few weeks ago, today we’re going to look at a psalm that was sung on journeys or pilgrimages.

As we work our way through this psalm, we are going to see the people of God, fueled by their expectations, joyfully anticipating their time of praise in God’s presence, filled with strength for the journey, and confident in the blessings that are sure to be waiting for them.

Key Passage: Psalm 84

Speaker: Andrew Longmire

It’s been said that failures are like a compost heap — they stink but are the most fertile part of the garden! We’ve all experienced failure to varying degrees of severity and publicity, making mistakes in things we’ve thought, said, and done. Sometimes the blunders are containable, rectifiable, and forgettable. Other times, however, they’re not. At those times, failures do, indeed, stink. But they can also be very fertile times in life. When our missteps and mistakes are examined, they can be fodder for growth and recalibration. A thoughtful and intentional person learns from failure, identifying factors that contributed to it, and recognizing how best to avoid its repetition.

Matthew 12 has recorded one of the greatest failures in the history of the world: Israel’s rejection of their messianic King. What were the consequences of such a blunder? What were its causes? Is there a cure that could help us avoid similar foolishness?

Key Passage: Matthew 12:38–50

Series: Matthew: Of King and Kingdom

Speaker: Josiah Boyd

Please note there were technical difficulties with the audio during the recording of this sermon.

Matthew 12 reads like the transcript of the final scenes of a long courtroom drama—The People v. Jesus of Nazareth. It’s a trial that as arrested the attention of the entire nation of Israel.

This otherwise nondescript Rabbi burst onto the scene claiming to be the long-awaited messianic king and boldly offering to establish the divinely-promised, eternal kingdom characterized by unending peace, unfathomable prosperity, unfettered godliness, and unabating rest. For months he taught and healed, travelled and modelled, fulfilled prophecy and challenged orthodoxy, all of which sparked a growing polarization among the people. Many believed, followed, and trusted him. Others, particularly Israel’s religious leaders, were scandalized by his claims.

The trial now, however, is coming to an end. The evidence is about to be summarized so that it is fresh in the minds of the jury who will then, after quick deliberation, hand down a final, irrevocable verdict that will define the entire case as well as the fate of a generation.

Key Passage: Matthew 12:15–37

Series: Matthew: Of King and Kingdom

Speaker: Josiah Boyd