Pastor Nate Holdridge asks a deceptively simple question: how can Jesus call his yoke easy and his burden light when the life he describes is a narrow gate and a difficult way? The answer is found in who is yoked to us. Working through two Sabbath confrontations and the longest Old Testament quotation in Matthew's Gospel, Pastor Nate shows that Jesus is the true King, Priest, Prophet, and Lord—the one greater than David, greater than the temple, and lord of the Sabbath itself (Matthew 12:6-8). Against the Pharisees, who turned God's day of rest into an exhausting treadmill, Jesus reveals a heart that treasures mercy over ceremony (Hosea 6:6), loves to restore the broken, and does so gently, never breaking a bruised reed or quenching a smoldering wick (Matthew 12:20). For anyone weary of life with Jesus as burden, this is an invitation to genuine soul-rest in the gentle Servant who steps into the yoke beside us.

Pastor Nate Holdridge walks through three surprising portraits of Christ from a single passage: Jesus the Judge, who denounces the towns that witnessed his mighty works yet remained indifferent; Jesus the Revealer, the exclusive door through whom the Father is known and who hides truth from the proud while unveiling it to the lowly; and Jesus the Rest Giver, who invites all who are weary and burdened to come to him. Pastor Nate presses the sobering weight of spiritual privilege—greater light brings greater responsibility—while holding out the tender invitation of the One who is gentle and lowly in heart. This is not a call to escape our burdens but to trade them for the easy yoke of Jesus, learning to walk his way and find rest for our souls.

Executive Pastor Manny Collazo from Calvary Church continues our study through the book of Matthew.

Pastor Nate Holdridge walks through Matthew 10:26–42, where Jesus calls his disciples away from the universal craving for safety and comfort and toward a life of danger and reward. Working through three movements—Jesus stood for us, so we stand for him (Matthew 10:26–33); Jesus lost his life for us, so we lose our lives for him (Matthew 10:34–39); and Jesus brought a message to us, so we receive his messengers (Matthew 10:40–42)—we learn how rightly ordered fear, trust in a Father who values us more than many sparrows, and the memory of the cross free us to acknowledge Christ before others. Along the way we’ll confront our region's invitation to curate the good life, clarify what Jesus means by bringing "a sword" into our households, and stand reminded that loving Christ above all is the best gift we can give our families. Because he stood for us, lost his life for us, and sent his word to us, Jesus is worthy of our wholehearted trust—all the way.

Pastor Nate Holdridge examines what it means for Christ's people to collide with darkness as they carry his life and light into dead and dark places. Jesus sends his disciples out as sheep among wolves, calling them to an intentional vulnerability marked by the wisdom of serpents and the innocence of doves. Pastor Nate walks through the church's realistic expectation of opposition—from courts and synagogues to governments and even families—while pointing to the Spirit's promised help in the hour of trial and the steadfast endurance that marks true disciples. Ultimately, this teaching calls us to behold Christ, the suffering Shepherd who not only models faithful endurance but became our substitute, bearing rejection and hatred for our sake.

In this message, Pastor Nate Holdridge walks through Matthew 9:35–10:15, where the compassionate King who has been colliding with darkness begins to multiply that work through ordinary people.

Pastor Nate Holdridge preaches through Matthew 9:18–34, where Jesus collides with a world polluted by death, shame, blindness, and spiritual captivity.

Special message from Executive Pastor at Calvary Church picking up our study through Matthew in chapter 9 verses 1 through 17.

In this Sunday sermon from Matthew 8:18-34, Pastor Nate Holdridge walks through three encounters that reveal both what Jesus looks for in his followers and who Jesus actually is.

Pastor Matt Kehler continues our study through the new testament book of Matthew.