"He put before them another parable: “The kingdom of heaven may be compared to someone who sowed good seed in his field; but while everybody was asleep, an enemy came and sowed weeds among the wheat, and then went away. So when the plants came up and bore grain, then the weeds appeared as well. And the slaves of the householder came and said to him, ‘Master, did you not sow good seed in your field? Where, then, did these weeds come from?’ He answered, ‘An enemy has done this.’ The slaves said to him, ‘Then do you want us to go and gather them?’ But he replied, ‘No; for in gathering the weeds you would uproot the wheat along with them. Let both of them grow together until the harvest; and at harvest time I will tell the reapers, Collect the weeds first and bind them in bundles to be burned, but gather the wheat into my barn.’ ”

Then he left the crowds and went into the house. And his disciples approached him, saying, “Explain to us the parable of the weeds of the field.” He answered, “The one who sows the good seed is the Son of Man; the field is the world, and the good seed are the children of the kingdom; the weeds are the children of the evil one, and the enemy who sowed them is the devil; the harvest is the end of the age, and the reapers are angels. Just as the weeds are collected and burned up with fire, so will it be at the end of the age. The Son of Man will send his angels, and they will collect out of his kingdom all causes of sin and all evildoers, and they will throw them into the furnace of fire, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth. Then the righteous will shine like the sun in the kingdom of their Father. Let anyone with ears listen!"

Matthew 13: 24-30; 36-43

This week we take a look at the parable of the wheat and the weeds. When we look at it in light of our apprenticeship to Jesus, we find that we have not been given the responsibility of picking and choosing who is or isn't going to hear and understand the good news of God's kingdom. Our mission, then, is to share the truth of His kingdom in every sphere of our lives.

This sermon was delivered on October 23, 2022,  by Joel Frame at Hope Church in Nashville, Tennessee

If you have any questions, please reach out to us at [email protected] or visit us at linktr.ee/hopechurchnash.

#Parables #Seed #Matthew13 #Jesus #GospelofMatthew   #Nashvillechurches #Hope #HopeChurch #EastNashville 

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Live by the Spirit, I say, and do not gratify the desires of the flesh. For what the flesh desires is opposed to the Spirit, and what the Spirit desires is opposed to the flesh; for these are opposed to each other, to prevent you from doing what you want. But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not subject to the law. Now the works of the flesh are obvious: fornication, impurity, licentiousness, idolatry, sorcery, enmities, strife, jealousy, anger, quarrels, dissensions, factions, envy, drunkenness, carousing, and things like these. I am warning you, as I warned you before: those who do such things will not inherit the kingdom of God.

By contrast, the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, generosity, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. There is no law against such things. And those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires. If we live by the Spirit, let us also be guided by the Spirit.

Galatians 5:16-25

As believers in Christ, we know that we are saved by grace through faith. But then what? In this passage, Paul communicates clearly about the challenges we still face and what a life lived with God looks like. Life as an apprentice of Jesus is not a list of things to avoid doing; it is a relationship to cultivate as the Spirit bears fruit in us. This fruit is central to understanding our faith.

This sermon was delivered on Oct. 2, 2022,  by Zach Bevill at Hope Church in Nashville, Tennessee

If you have any questions, please contact us at [email protected] or visit us at linktr.ee/hopechurchnash.

#Galatians5 #FruitoftheSpirit #Love #Joy #Peace #Patience #Kindness #Goodness #Faithfulness #Gentleness #SelfControl #JesusChrist #ApostlePaul #Galatians #HolySpirit #WorksoftheFlesh #Nashvillechurches #Hope #HopeChurch #EastNashville 

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"Then Jesus went about all the cities and villages, teaching in their synagogues, and proclaiming the good news of the kingdom, and curing every disease and every sickness. When he saw the crowds, he had compassion for them, because they were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd. Then he said to his disciples, “The harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few."

Matthew 9:35-37 NRSV

Jesus says that the harvest is “plentiful”; which implies that it already exists. You don’t send someone out to gather something that doesn’t exist. So if it already exists and it’s plentiful, where is it?

It’s all around you; you just need eyes to see it. The problem is that so many times we’re blind to the needs around us that we completely miss opportunities to bring the Kingdom into those places.

This sermon was delivered on Sept. 25, 2022,  by Jason Rumbough at Hope Church in Nashville, Tennessee

If you have any questions, please contact us at [email protected] or visit us at linktr.ee/hopechurchnash.

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"As Jesus went on from there, two blind men followed him, crying loudly, “Have mercy on us, Son of David!” When he entered the house, the blind men came to him; and Jesus said to them, “Do you believe that I am able to do this?” They said to him, “Yes, Lord.” Then he touched their eyes and said, “According to your faith let it be done to you.” And their eyes were opened. Then Jesus sternly ordered them, “See that no one knows of this.” But they went away and spread the news about him throughout that district.

"After they had gone away, a demoniac who was mute was brought to him. And when the demon had been cast out, the one who had been mute spoke; and the crowds were amazed and said, “Never has anything like this been seen in Israel.” But the Pharisees said, “By the ruler of the demons he casts out the demons.”

Matthew 9:27-34 NRSV

These two blind men were the first people to call Jesus "Son of David." They saw him for who he was, even though they couldn't see him at all.

If you are really listening to who Jesus is and paying attention to his teaching, your mind CAN’T remain closed. Because you’ll miss everything he’s trying to do.

This sermon was delivered on Sept. 18, 2022,  by Jason Rumbough at Hope Church in Nashville, Tennessee

If you have any questions, please reach out to us at [email protected] or visit us at linktr.ee/hopechurchnash.

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Many times, we approach Jesus with a version of him already fixed in our minds. Unfortunately, often that version is skewed by personal, cultural, and other baggage that forces us to put Jesus in a box he never intended to be in. 

This week's teaching is the second half of what we looked at last week regarding the Greek word "Akoloutheo" (meaning: “Merge your path with mine”).

Many times we experience disappointment with Jesus because the box we've put him in doesn't line up with what he has said about himself--that he is the "way," not the "box." 

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"As Jesus was walking along, he saw a man called Matthew sitting at the tax booth; and he said to him, “Follow me.” And he got up and followed him.

And as he sat at dinner in the house, many tax collectors and sinners came and were sitting with him and his disciples. When the Pharisees saw this, they said to his disciples, “Why does your teacher eat with tax collectors and sinners?” But when he heard this, he said, “Those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick. Go and learn what this means, ‘I desire mercy, not sacrifice.’ For I have come to call not the righteous but sinners.”

Matthew 9:9-13 NRSV

Jesus said to Matthew, "Follow me."

The Greek word here is "Akoloutheo," which was a common phrase used by rabbis when looking for students. Rabbis would often interview students, and once they had found the best of the best, they would invite them to be their apprentice with the invitation: “Follow me.” This phrase literally means “Merge your path with mine.”

Merging paths with Jesus means being open to having your life interrupted by Jesus and then learning how to abide in every moment so that your path merges with his.

This sermon was delivered on August 28, 2022,  by Jason Rumbough at Hope Church in Nashville, Tennessee

If you have any questions, please reach out to us at [email protected] or visit us at linktr.ee/hopechurchnash.

#Matthew9 #Jesus #GospelofMatthew   #Nashvillechurches #Hope #HopeChurch #EastNashville #FollowMe #Akoloutheo #Apprenticeship #Pharisees #TaxCollector #Sinners #Righteous #Mercy #JesusChrist

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"And just then some people were carrying a paralyzed man lying on a bed. When Jesus saw their faith, he said to the paralytic, “Take heart, son; your sins are forgiven.” Then some of the scribes said to themselves, “This man is blaspheming.” But Jesus, perceiving their thoughts, said, “Why do you think evil in your hearts? For which is easier, to say, ‘Your sins are forgiven,’ or to say, ‘Stand up and walk’? But so that you may know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins”—he then said to the paralytic—“Stand up, take your bed and go to your home.” And he stood up and went to his home. When the crowds saw it, they were filled with awe, and they glorified God, who had given such authority to human beings."

Jesus told the paralytic "Your sins [PLURAL] are forgiven.” This isn’t a one-time thing, this is the establishment of something new. Not just because Jesus is stating that this man doesn’t have to go to the temple anymore, but because what he’s offering is complete, whole, and comprehensive forgiveness of EVERY sin…not just the one.

Matthew 9:2-8, NRSV

This sermon was delivered on August 21, 2022,  by Jason Rumbough at Hope Church in Nashville, Tennessee

If you have any questions, please reach out to us at [email protected] or visit us at linktr.ee/hopechurchnash.

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"When he came to the other side, to the country of the Gadarenes, two demoniacs coming out of the tombs met him. They were so fierce that no one could pass that way. Suddenly they shouted, “What have you to do with us, Son of God? Have you come here to torment us before the time?” Now a large herd of swine was feeding at some distance from them. The demons begged him, “If you cast us out, send us into the herd of swine.” And he said to them, “Go!” So they came out and entered the swine; and suddenly, the whole herd rushed down the steep bank into the sea and perished in the water. The swineherds ran off, and on going into the town, they told the whole story about what had happened to the demoniacs. Then the whole town came out to meet Jesus; and when they saw him, they begged him to leave their neighborhood. And after getting into a boat he crossed the sea and came to his own town." - Matthew 8:28-9:1, NRSV

When Jesus gets out of the boat, he’s in enemy territory. He's now in the country of the Gadarenes, which is Gentile/Pagan territory. He immediately comes across some demon-possessed men, and they're literally coming out of their tombs (like zombies) to confront Jesus. 

This is chaos embodied, this is out of control; this is death/destruction/chaos walking — This is the storm not on the water, but within people.

This sermon was delivered on August 7, 2022,  by Jason Rumbough at Hope Church in Nashville, Tennessee

If you have any questions, please reach out to us at [email protected] or visit us at linktr.ee/hopechurchnash.

#Matthew8 #Jesus #SeaofGalilee #GospelofMatthew #faith #exorcism #Peace #Storms  #Nashvillechurches #Hope #HopeChurch #EastNashville #Demons #Demonic #possession 

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"And when he got into the boat, his disciples followed him. A windstorm arose on the sea, so great that the boat was being swamped by the waves; but he was asleep. And they went and woke him up, saying, “Lord, save us! We are perishing!” And he said to them, “Why are you afraid, you of little faith?” Then he got up and rebuked the winds and the sea; and there was a dead calm. They were amazed, saying, “What sort of man is this, that even the winds and the sea obey him?” - Matthew 8:23-27, NRSV

As the disciples climbed aboard a boat to ride with Jesus across the Sea of Galilee, they probably didn't expect to face a crisis along the way. But when the wind and waves started rocking the boat, the disciples react in a way that is quite different from Jesus, who was fast asleep. As he woke up, he asked his disciples why they were so afraid during this crisis.

As Jason referenced in this week's sermon, "Crisis is a season of life where you have more questions than answers.” How do we respond in moments of crisis? Do we show the peace of Jesus or the lack of faith of the disciples?

This sermon was delivered on August 7, 2022,  by Jason Rumbough at Hope Church in Nashville, Tennessee

If you have any questions, please reach out to us at [email protected] or visit us at linktr.ee/hopechurchnash.

#Matthew8 #Jesus #SeaofGalilee #GospelofMatthew #faith #CalmtheSea #Peace #Storms   #Nashvillechurches #Hope #HopeChurch #EastNashville #CalmtheStorm

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