WestGate Church Teaching

For the first 10 chapters of Matthew, Matthew records the amazing things that Jesus does and says. But then, in chapters 11 and 12, he tells the stories of how people respond to Jesus. And sometimes it’s awe, wonder and worship, but sometimes, it’s dramatic conflict. In Matthew 12, the Pharisees pick a fight with Jesus about the proper interpretation of the Torah (what we’d call the Old Testament). Jesus then picks a fight right back, saying that the Pharisees actually don’t understand their own sacred texts. And in the process, Jesus reveals that a person’s zeal to “be right” can lead them to be unloving, which is always a violation of the heart of God and the heart of the Scriptures.

SPEAKERS:

Steve Clifford (Saratoga), Corinna Girard (South Hills)

Bible Passages):

Matthew 12:1-21

Description:

As the Messiah, Jesus was good at a lot of thing. But there was one thing Jesus was awful at and that was meeting everyone around Him’s expectations. Dana and Andy stop by to talk about how Jesus disappointed people, and what that’s a good thing. We also talk about how Jesus’s response back to John the Baptist is actually a hidden Scripture code in which Jesus is basically telling John, “You’re going to die.” And we talk about how to make it through the seasons of life when crushing disappointment leads to a mistrust of God Himself, and how Jesus’ invitation to John and us at the end of Matthew 11 is the way forward.

Speakers: David Tieche + Dana Clifford + Andy Gridley

Sermon Description:

It’s a common temptation, when things go wrong in life, to get upset with God. Why did this happen? Why *didn’t* this happen? In Matthew 11, we see John the Baptist unfairly and wrong imprisoned, facing the death penalty at the hands of a crazy ruler. He sends a message to Jesus with a question: are you the Messiah, or what? John has some clear ideas about how Jesus is and should work, and the “good guys” getting thrown in prison (or worse, killed) isn’t how he imagined things going for God’s Anointed and His friends. Jesus’ response is chilling: Jesus affirms that He is the Messiah, and that no, John shouldn’t expect everything to go the way he expects it to. But that doesn’t mean that Jesus isn’t at work. And in the end, Jesus invites John and everyone listening to trust Him, even in the middle of confusing situations.

SPEAKERS:

Dana Clifford (Saratoga), Andy Gridley (South Hills)

Bible Passages):

Matthew 11:1-30

This week, we have a whole bunch of questions about Jesus’ famous “mission discourse speech” in Matthew 10. Jesus famously said “the harvest is plentiful, but the workers are few.” What was He trying to say, back then, and how does that relate to us, today? Secondly, we believe that Jesus is actually beautifully compelling with both His life and His words. So how does that jive with His warning that people will hate Him and hate His followers? Jesus says his followers are like sheep sent out among the wolves. What does that mean? Also, how do you know when you’re being hated because you follow Jesus, and when you’re being hated because you’re a Grade A jerk? Jay Kim stops by to help David figure all this out.

Speakers: David Tieche + Jay Kim

It’s easy, as Christians, to get so focused on what God is doing in our lives (or what we need Him for in our lives) that we begin to think that God exists *for* us. Like, Jesus came to earth and died for *me*. Which, on one hand, is true, but in another way is entirely false. Jesus came to save humanity. In Matthew 10, we have the second big speech of Jesus in Matthew, and in it, Jesus outlines His big, overarching mission. But there’s a troubling reality: Jesus says that the “harvest is ripe” but that the “workers are few.” Jesus, like those first disciples, is inviting us with an urgency to join Him as He builds the kingdom. And a great deal depends on our response.

SPEAKERS:

Jay Kim (Saratoga), David Tieche (South Hills)

Bible Passages):

Matthew 9:35 - 10:42

Sometimes in the Gospels, one story is told multiple times in multiple Gospels. And while the stories are the same, the details that each author includes are *slightly* different. This week, we looked at the story of a bleeding woman and a man named Jairus’ daughter which is found in Matthew 9, and Luke and Mark. But while Matthew only devotes 8 verses to these stories, Luke doubles that with 16 and Mark gives it 21 verses of attention. Lisa and David go through these different accounts, each sharing their three (3) favorite details added by Luke or Mark that enhance the story in a really profound or beautiful way.

Speakers: David Tieche + Lisa Averill

In Matthew 9, Matthew tells two stories of two different people in similar desperate circumstances. One is a woman with a medical condition she’s been suffering from for 12 years, and the other is a man whose young daughter is terribly sick - indeed, almost dead. Both are out of options. And both fall at Jesus’ feet asking for help. The response of Jesus (recorded not only in Matthew but also in the Gospels of Luke and Mark) show us so much about who Jesus is, and how with Jesus, no situation is too broken and it’s never too late for Jesus to step in and set things right - on Earth as they are in Heaven.

SPEAKERS:

Lisa Averill (Saratoga), David Tieche (South Hills)

Description:

Comparison, it’s been said, is the thief of joy. And our modern Instagram world, it’s easy to compare and feel less than. Resident sage Steve Clifford stops by to talk about a few of the most dangerous enemies of contentment in our modern world. We talk about how social media can fuel our insecurities, and how to get out of that trap. And we talk about another source of insecurity in the Bay Area: the idea that I’m just not successful enough. We discuss where that feeling comes from, and ways that Christians can invite God into that conversation. David also uses an analogy from long division – MATH! – to describe a spiritual condition, which is absolutely the first time that’s ever happened.

Speakers: David Tieche + Steve Clifford

To be human is to have inferiority feelings, but the digital universe of social media presents an almost limitless potential for people to compare themselves against others. And this easily leads to discontentment, with our place in the world. With our perceived success. With the amount of things we have, or don’t have. Jesus, in Luke 12, warns us against this spirit of discontent, where we believe the myth that “more” will make us happy. And as we see, with Jesus, contentment is not a passive acceptance of the status quo, but the positive assurance that God has supplied one’s needs (which frees us to be generous) and a reminder that God is faithful to supply us what we actually need (and be freed from unnecessary desires which frees us to be filled with gratitude).

Title: THE AFTERWORD | Work Hard, Rest Easy - Week 3 - Money

Description:

In His teachings on money, it’s pretty clear that Jesus (and historically, the leaders of the early church) viewed money as a dangerous spiritual threat to people. And in the Bay Area, money might be the most frequently worshipped god because it promises so many different things to different people. Steve and Jay stop by to discuss why Jesus says to “be careful” and to “be on guard” against greed, why the spiritual rot of greed is nearly always invisible, and how two practices - generosity and transparency (which are radical and uncommon in not only our society, but also in our Christian circles) - can lead us to freedom.

Speakers: David Tieche + Jay Kim + Steve Clifford