Refuge City Church

5 Years of Building on the Rock (Matthew 7:21-27)

Matthew Thrower

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“5 Years of Building on the Rock” is our 5-year anniversary message, a celebration of grace and a sobering look at Jesus’ words in Matthew 7:21–27. In this sermon, we explore why it is possible to be busy for Jesus and never actually belong to Him, and why only a life built on Christ will stand when the storms come.

Pastor Matthew unpacks three piercing questions from Jesus:

• Do you know His name, or do you know Him?

• Are you performing for Him, or obeying Him?

• Are you decorating the house, or building on the Rock?

Along the way, we celebrate five years of God’s faithfulness, honest stories of struggle, and the unshakable foundation Jesus has been for our church. Whether you have been with Refuge City since the “basement days” or you are just checking us out online, this message will call you back to the simple, costly, beautiful center of it all: knowing Jesus and making Him known.

Which Gate Will You Enter?

Matthew Thrower

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This sermon from Matthew 7:13–20 explores Jesus’ sobering picture of two gates, two roads, and two eternal destinations. We confront the illusion of a safe middle lane and hear Christ’s uncompromising call to enter the narrow gate by grace through faith. We’ll also examine how to spot false prophets, test spiritual “fruit” in character and doctrine, and practice discernment in an age of platformed personalities and soft teaching. This message urges believers to embrace costly discipleship, guard the church from deception, and cling to the gospel that both wounds our pride and heals our souls.

The Measure You Use (Matthew 7:1-12)

Matthew Thrower

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Matthew 7:1–12 shows Jesus pressing on four major heart issues: how we judge others, how we discern, how we pray, and how we treat people, all under one Kingdom “measure.” In this sermon we walk line by line through “Judge not…,” “do not throw your pearls before pigs,” “ask, seek, knock,” and the Golden Rule, to see how self‑examination, wise boundaries, bold prayer, and sacrificial love all flow from the same Father’s heart.

Kingdom Calm Over Worldly Anxiety (Matthew 6:25-34)

Matthew Thrower

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Kingdom Calm Over Worldly Anxiety is a sermon from Matthew 6:25–34 about how Jesus confronts our age of anxiety with a better way to live. The message contrasts a world where one in three adults wrestle with anxiety and depression with the calm Jesus offers as we trust a Father who feeds the birds and clothes the lilies. The message shows that anxiety isn’t just emotional but deeply theological, springing from misplaced allegiance to money, image, or control instead of God. It walks through Jesus’ command to “seek first the kingdom of God,” explaining that this is not a vending‑machine promise but a reordering of our priorities around His rule.

Pastor Matthew then gives four practical rhythms, starting the day in awe, worship as spiritual therapy, trading “what if?” for “even if,” and persistent prayer, to help believers live with kingdom calm in a worried world. Finally, it lands in the gospel: the God who did not spare His own Son will surely meet us in tomorrow’s troubles, so we can rest today in His care.

The Danger of Divided Devotion (Matthew 6:19-24)

Matthew Thrower

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In this message, Pastor Matthew unpacks Matthew 6:19–24 and exposes the subtle but deadly danger of divided devotion. We see how our treasure, our vision, and our master are all connected, and how what we love most will always shape how we live.

This passages causes us to examine our spending, our habits, and our heart to see who or what you are really serving. If you have ever felt the pull between God and “more,” this message is for you. Watch, reflect, and ask: where does my treasure say my heart truly is?

Righteous Theater (Matthew 6:1-15)

Matthew Thrower

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In this message from Matthew 6, we walk through Jesus’ warning against “theatrical righteousness” and His invitation into a hidden, authentic life with God. We’ll look at giving, prayer, and fasting, how the same practices can either be a performance for people or an offering to the Father who “sees in secret.”

At the center of the passage is the Lord’s Prayer. Far from being a religious script, it becomes a declaration of allegiance: “Hallowed be Your name” over my image “Your kingdom come” over my little empires “Your will be done” over my will

We’ll confront the fear of man, expose how we’ve turned “my will” into a functional god, and see how Jesus calls us back to the secret place, where His reward is not a platform, but His presence, His delight, and a will that’s slowly being shaped to match His. If you’ve ever felt trapped by people-pleasing, addicted to being seen, or confused about what it really means to pray “Your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven,” this message is for you.

Scripture: Matthew 6:1–15

Oaths, Revenge, and Enemy Love (Matthew 5:33-48)

Matthew Thrower

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In this message from Matthew 5:33–48, Pastor Matthew walks us through Jesus’ radical call to a deeper righteousness—one that transforms our words, our response to wrongs, and even how we treat our enemies.

Whether you’re wrestling with unforgiveness, struggling to tell the truth consistently, or exhausted by the cycle of outrage and payback, this message will challenge and encourage you to follow the Way of Jesus: truthful speech, surrendered rights, and enemy love that looks like the Father’s perfection.

Lust and the Worth of a Soul (Matthew 5:27-32)

Matthew Thrower

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In this message, Pastor Matthew walks through Jesus’ hard but hope-filled words on lust, divorce, and the way we see other people and ourselves. In a culture saturated with sexualized images and built-in comparison, Jesus exposes more than outward behavior; He goes after the heart that turns image-bearers into objects and spouses into options.

If you’re weary of secret battles, weighed down by shame, or simply hungry to see others with more honor and less suspicion, this sermon is for you. Jesus is not calling you to a beige, desireless life, but to redeemed desire and a renewed way of seeing.

A Killing Anger (Matthew 5:21-26)

Matthew Thrower

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Killing Anger is a message from Matthew 5:21–26 that explores how Jesus links anger, insults, and contempt to the same heart-root as murder and calls His people into urgent reconciliation instead of quiet resentment. In this sermon we look at explosive and suppressed anger, why dehumanizing others made in God’s image is so serious, how unresolved conflict slowly destroys relationships and church community, and why Jesus tells us to go and make things right before we worship and to move quickly toward peace where we can. Rooted in the gospel, this teaching invites us to let the Holy Spirit search our hearts, take concrete steps toward hard conversations, and reflect the reconciling heart of God in our homes, friendships, and city.

Jesus and The Word (Matthew 5:17-20)

Matthew Thrower

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Join us in our "Sermon on the Mount: Living the Way of Jesus" series as Pastor Matthew unpacks Matthew 5:17-20. In this message, "Jesus and The Word," discover how Jesus doesn't abolish the Old Testament but brings it to its glorious fulfillment, calling us to a deeper, heart-level righteousness that surpasses mere rule-keeping.

In a culture bombarding us with messages to dismiss Scripture as outdated, Jesus anchors us to God's unchanging Word. This sermon grounds the series theologically, showing the Sermon on the Mount as kingdom realization—not moralism.

Listen now and let the Word search your heart. What will your verdict be?