Jesus spends time in Matthew's gospel connecting some old testament ideas with new testament realities. What can you learn from a vineyard, farmer, stone, builder, and Jesus?

Throughout the Bible the use of names is critical. Names clue us in to who we are and what we're called to be. But what about God's name? What does God's name tell us about him? What can we learn by just knowing his name?

Jesus teaches us many different things. We learn how to love and be gracious. He shows us what a servant heart looks like and what it means to give of oneself. Some of the lessons we learn in Matthew 21 are broader than church relationships. This message actually can help us with how we communicate with one another and how people react to us at times.

What happens when something that is meant for our good becomes something we elevate to too high of a status? It becomes a bad thing. This week's message is built around the idea that when a good thing becomes a God-thing it's a bad thing. What good things gone bad do you have in your life? What has to happen for things to be put in the right perspective again?

Jesus uses stories of things we know to help us better understand things we don't know. This is one of them. This particular story is to help us understand grace and mercy and forgiveness. What can you learn from a hard day's work about God's grace? What can you learn about grace from a short day at work?

The first commandment might not look much like a commandment but it helps us better understand everything that follows. Different church traditions number the commandments differently but when we go back to the Jewish understanding of the words of God things become more clear. Listen as Pastor Derrick shares insights on how this first commandment sets us up for the ones that follow.

It is so easy to see the problems in other people. It's easy to point out someone else's flaws and bury them in their own short comings. But have you ever thought that maybe that person is very aware of their shortcomings and struggles daily with them? Jesus teaches a lesson on humility and kindness and Biblical love in how we deal with our brother or sister when they make mistakes. Mercy rules the day.

When we look at the story of Joseph we find a young man who's had some pretty big challenges in life. But how he reacts says a lot about his character and his faith. He seems to know what Paul will write in Romans 8:28 that all things work together for the good.

The disciples seem to miss a major point in Jesus' teaching. Who's the greatest is their question. Or more accurately how do we become the greatest? Perhaps they need to realize that spiritual dependance is the only thing that brings kingdom greatness!

The story of Genesis is the story of one family and their lessons in life. From Abraham to Isaac to Jacob and now his sons, we can see that God doesn't select perfect people to do the work. He calls regular, messed up and imperfect people and does miraculous and amazing things through them. Listen to the story of Joseph as we discover how misplaced priorities lead to messed up relationships.