When Jesus came into Jerusalem for the Passover celebration, He was greeted as a triumphant King, destined to save! But, even in the celebration, the people were missing something vital. When the King comes in, He has a purpose. Benjamin discusses how our desire for saving can actually cause us to miss the Savior.

Satan attempts to get Jesus to use His position as Son for relief from the difficult wilderness journey that the Holy Spirit led Him into. Somehow, Jesus remains focused on what matters and resists. Why? Benjamin shares how not only does Jesus do what humanity failed to do historically, but in the process the wilderness serves as preparation for His purpose.

The right thing at the wrong time is... wrong. Jesus finds Himself in the wilderness, tempted to use His power to feed Himself in the wilderness. We all want to escape the wildernesses of our lives as quickly as possible, but how do we walk it out well?

The Holy Spirit may lead us into the wilderness, and there is purpose there. But why is must we go? Benjamin walks us through Matthew 4 and the beginnings of the temptation of Jesus.

Have you ever felt unlucky? Can you imagine being known for running snakes out of town? That would mean that at some point there were snakes all around. That's unlucky! Benjamin discusses the luck of Maewyn Succat in light of Scripture. There might be more snakes in your life than you realize.

What have you done? Have you done things that you regret? Have you done things that you are proud of? In Matthew 3 we see God and His response to what Jesus did. God's response to what Jesus did may just change the way that you believe God sees you.

The wilderness can be a scary, dangerous place. What if there's something more in the wilderness? What if there's something that you should not live without? Benjamin shares a surprise in the desert from Matthew 3:1-3. Transformation.

Strangely, sometimes effective leadership that produces results is not healthy leadership. Jesus breaks into this world with a disruptive leadership style that starkly contrasts the leadership style of the day. In this sermon, Benjamin discusses the contrast between the leadership of King Herod and the entrance of Jesus, the King of Kings. Looking at the circumstances of the birth of Christ, we already see the mission of Jesus emerging: a Savior for all.

Before Jesus was born, like all of us, He was given a name. The circumstances of His birth as well as His purpose fulfilled Isaiah 7:14. But what was His name? Jesus, or Immanuel? Benjamin discusses the traditions of biblical naming and what Jesus came to do. The connection between the name Jesus and the name Immanuel create a lens through which we can view our purpose.

We all have received traits, habits, and patterns from our parents and grandparents. When we think about them, some bring us warm feelings while others cause us to shudder. The family line of Jesus was no exception. Benjamin shares some insight into the heritage of Jesus, and the power of the Holy Spirit to change legacy! Listen as we begin to walk through The Gospel of Matthew together.