When Jesus began his ministry, he called his first disciples who were fishermen and told them to follow him and he would make them fishers of people. And he went from town to town teaching in the synagogues and proclaiming the gospel of the kingdom. At that time there was an expectation that religion was something to…

One helpful way of thinking about Matthew’s gospel is that it is a training manual for discipleship. It is a curriculum for the Christian life. You could say that chapters 5 through 9 give us our first semester’s study of who Jesus is: the teaching and touching savior. We hear him teaching, giving us His…

One of the most famous psychology experiments of all time is the “invisible gorilla” test (You can take the test below). It is a funny test, that most people fail miserably…if they haven’t been tipped off in advance! But it shows us how much that is right before us that we don’t actually see. Matthew…

Matthew 9:18-26 In this sermon we will look at three different stories:  a 13-year-old girl who dreamed about being a broadway star,  a father who had to bury his daughter,  and a woman who silently suffered for 12 years.  And for each of them, what could have been the worst moment of their lives was…

Isaiah 52:13-53:12 Today’s Song: O The Wonderful Cross Today’s passage: Isaiah 52:13-53:12 Today we come to holy ground. Isaiah 52:13-53:12 is a 5 stanza song about the crucifixion.  Let us take off our shoes…for the place he is hanging is holy ground. Spend some time thinking about each of the stanzas in this song. For each…

Isaiah 63:1-6: A Day of Vengeance…a day of love? Today’s Song: Were You There?Today’s passage: Isaiah 63:1-6 Isaiah 63 brings us alongside the Lord’s Anointed and paints a picture of Him once He has completed His work of vengeance. We see him blood stained from the battle that brought salvation. And we see two realities together:…

Isaiah 61:10 – 62:12 Today’s Song: Man of SorrowsToday’s passage: Isaiah 61:10-62:12 Isaiah 61:10-62:12 is one long poem. It is a love song. It is a swelling celebration of the spreading joy that will be God’s and His Anointed One’s as they bring about salvation.  Hebrews tells us that it was the joy set before…

Isaiah 61: 1-4 Today’s Song: O’ Praise the Name Today’s passage: Isaiah 61:1-4 Isaiah 60 promises a new day will dawn when the Savior comes, but how will it happen? What will this new day bring?  This passage tells us it will come through the Spirit anointed ministry of the Word. Here we are given Jesus’ job description and we see a ministry…

To help prepare you for Holy Week we will be posting a daily devotional. There will be three parts: A Song A Scriptural Meditation A Prayer Today’s Song: Bless the Lord Today’s Passage: Isaiah 60 How many times had Isaiah seen the sunrise over Jerusalem?  It is a sight you can still marvel at today.…