Continuing our Parables series, Dominic Jackson teaches on Matthew 21:28-32 and the story of the two sons, where Jesus contrasts words with obedience. One son refuses his father but later repents and acts; the other promises compliance but never moves his feet. In this tension, Jesus exposes the danger of honoring God with our lips while our lives remain unchanged. True faith, Dominic reminds us, is not merely mental agreement or verbal profession but trust embodied in action. Repentance is more than saying “I’m sorry”—it is a turning, a 180, from stubborn refusal toward obedience rooted in God’s grace. The kingdom belongs not to the polished or religiously impressive, but to those whose hearts are turned and whose lives bear the fruit of repentance and trust.

Matt Crummy explores Jesus’ parable of the workers in the vineyard, where God’s justice and mercy meet in ways that unsettle our instincts about fairness. The landowner pays each worker the same, keeping his promise to the first while showing unexpected generosity to the last. For those measuring worth by comparison, this feels like loss, and Jesus names it the “evil eye”—a vision clouded by envy. In contrast, the “good” trusts that God’s resources are abundant, not scarce, and that his generosity to others does not diminish his care for us. The kingdom is not a zero-sum marketplace but a place where grace is given as a gift, not a wage, and where blessing is multiplied when it is shared. We are invited to lay down rivalry, resist the pull of comparison, and see others’ gain as a sign of the same goodness we ourselves receive from the hand of the generous landowner.

Dominic Jackson examines Jesus’ parable of the Pharisee and the tax collector, highlighting how pride, comparison, and self-righteousness can obscure our need for grace. While the Pharisee presents a flawless religious résumé, his posture reveals a heart focused on self and performance. The tax collector, in contrast, offers no defense—only humility and a cry for mercy. We are invited to consider how our motives shape our actions, how easily we reduce faith to merit, and how Jesus calls us to bring our empty hands, not our accomplishments. True righteousness, we’re reminded, begins not with moral superiority but with need that is recognized, named, and brought to God.

In this sermon on Luke 15, Dominic Jackson reflects on the parable often called “The Prodigal Son.” Drawing out the inner lives of all three characters—the younger son, the older brother, and the father—Dominic explores how the story exposes not just rebellion, but resentment, grief, and the longing for reconciliation. The younger son runs from home in search of freedom, only to find himself empty and ashamed. The older brother stays but seethes, convinced that faithfulness should earn him control. The father’s actions disrupt both patterns—he watches, runs, and welcomes with joy, refusing to let either son’s vision of justice define the terms of relationship. The parable presses into how we see God, what kind of home we believe we’re returning to, and whether we can receive grace when it comes.

In this sermon on Matthew 25:14-30, Dominic Jackson continues the Parables series by turning to the parable of the talents. Dominic explains how the parable is less about ability and more about responsibility, especially in light of who we believe God to be. Jesus presents a master who entrusts his wealth to servants with varying amounts and then departs, inviting them to act in his absence. The contrast between the faithful servants and the third servant hinges on relationship rather than results. The third servant’s fear and distorted image of the master lead him to bury what he’s been given. We are challenged to consider how our view of God shapes our stewardship and whether we are hiding or risking what has been placed in our hands.

In this sermon on Matthew 13, Dominic Jackson opens the Parables series by exploring the parable of the sower. He reflects on how Jesus’ stories shape our perception and judgment, inviting self-examination rather than critique of others. Through the lens of a familiar farming image, Jesus challenges his listeners to consider the judgments they’re making and where true discernment comes from. We’re reminded that the kingdom of God grows in hidden, often misunderstood ways—and that we’re called to tend first to the soil of our own lives.

In this concluding sermon of Gateway’s series on biblical genres, Matt Crummy explores the importance of becoming spiritually fluent readers of Scripture in a complex, distracted age. Using 2 Timothy 2:1-9, he urges the church to move beyond surface-level Bible reading to cultivate embodied moral fluency—a way of life formed by deep, communal, repetitive engagement with Scripture. Drawing parallels to learning jazz or a language, he encourages a slow, humble apprenticeship to Jesus. Matt walks through Michael Gorman’s seven-step exegetical method to help us grow in our ability to interpret Scripture faithfully. In a world of algorithmic answers and self-isolation, he reminds us that God’s Word is never chained—and calls the church to become people shaped by wisdom, endurance, and the living Word.

Dominic Jackson examines how biblical teaching—particularly in the wisdom and epistolary traditions—forms a people who live in step with God’s character. Drawing from passages in Proverbs, Ephesians, and 2 Timothy, he reflects on the difference between information and formation, showing how instruction in Scripture is meant to shape not just what we know but how we live. Dominic challenges us to move beyond passive listening and embrace a way of life grounded in trust, obedience, and shared accountability. Instruction, in this light, is not just about learning but about becoming who we are created to be.

Dominic Jackson explores how the biblical genre we often skip over—lists of names—tells a profound story of God’s faithfulness across generations. Focusing on the genealogies of Jesus in Matthew and Luke, Dominic shows how these seemingly dry records reveal a Messiah who is both the rightful heir to David’s throne and a son born into a messy, complicated, and very human family tree. Through Joseph, Jesus inherits royal status; through Mary, he inherits the bloodline of David without the curse attached to Solomon’s descendants. God orchestrates every detail, even across centuries of dysfunction, scandal, and brokenness, to fulfill promises. And in doing so, he not only brings beauty from brokenness but also adopts us into that same redemptive family story. The genealogy of Jesus is no longer just his—it’s ours too.

Dominic Jackson explores how God sometimes communicates through embodied, performative actions that disrupt and confront. Focusing on Ezekiel 4 and other prophetic sign acts throughout Scripture, Dominic traces a form of divine speech that uses physical action as a message through shocking, symbolic warnings intended to prompt and expose. He explains how these acts were not random but deliberately crafted to call God’s people back from sin and toward redemption. We are challenged to recover the power of embodied witness, pointing not only to Ezekiel’s dramatic acts but to the one who ultimately bore our sins in his body: Christ himself.