Pastor Matt's Podcasts

Romans Chapter 9 is referred to as the chapter on predestination.  But it is more than that.  Predestination is to be found throughout scripture in its entirety.  Here we see some very specific concepts that we can deal with today.  Although Paul left the Jews who rejected Christ but still preached to all Jews in the synagogues until they either accepted Him or rejected Him.  Election in this case is personal, not national (Israel).  This answers some questions that we all have today.

In this sermon, we read that God chose His people, and loved them.  The requirement of His people is that they obey His commands.  This is proof that they know God, and are truly saved. This has been attacked in the US today in exchange for humanistic "love".  Enjoy!

Our nation is divided, the only thing that can bring this nation together is God's word.  To become one nation under God, one law, one justice, one word, one message, we must align with God hand His word once again. 

In this sermon, we study the meaning behind God foreknowing us, predestining us, calling us, justifying us and glorifying us.  All of this has meaning to our current time in life, not to the time when we are resurrected from the dead.  God saves us, and predestines us to be conformed to the image of Christ, that is a life-long and eternal committment.  Enjoy

With the recent protest against the Immigration Customs Enforcement, it has now entered the the inside of the church.  There were protesters that went into the Cities Church in St. Paul Minnesota, interuppted and disrupted.  As Christians, what is our response to be?  The Bible is very clear in each and every situation that arises, protesting in a house of God is no exception.

In this episode, we examine the inheritance of an adopted child of God.  Ultimately we won't have wings, sitting on a cloud while playing a harp.  Our inheritance is very different than that.  This word will encourage us all to embrace our place in the kingdom and every aspect of God's work in our lives. 

In this episode, we discuss one of the benefits of being an adopted son of God, heirs and joint-heirs with Jesus.  This is the benefit of sharing in the sufferings of Christ.   Only through suffering can the Christian get the glory. 

Christians are adopted into the family of God.  There is a family shift from living under the reign of sin and death to living under the reign of grace.  The Spirit of adoption is now on the life of the believer.  There are several marks of the believer that differentiate the son and the former life of the slave.

In this study we examine the power of the Holy Spirit which is given to every Christian at conversion.  It is this power that is given which grants the Christian the ability to battle the flesh, that which is left over from our old nature, Adam.  It is this Spirit which is of adoption into the family of God.

We now come to the center of the message of Romans.  Romans 8:1 says, "There is therefore now no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus, who[a] do not walk according to the flesh, but according to the Spirit."In this sermon we examine the meaning and differences behind walking according to the flesh and walking according to the Spirit. 

There are three ways Christians deal with sin in their life.  One is not to acknowledge it at all, in that they don't believe the law applies any longer.  Without the law, there is no sin, no need for sanctification.  the other extreme is to believe that God justified and sactified the believer.  Therefore, they are incapable of sin.  Against both of these views, Paul explains that the battle over the sin of the old man is still within every believer.  However, the believer is not to be dominated by sin.  This is reality. Every Christian's battle. 

Paul continues to address the beleiver and unbelievers relationship to the law of God.  To the unbeliever, the law remains an indictment.  To the believer, it becomes a guide for living.  In order for America to become a nation set apart for God's purposes, Chrisitians must embrace God's law from a proper perspective.  And pastors must preach the gospel in terms of God's law-word.

In Chapter Seven, Paul makes an analogy that he didn't use before.  In marriage, when one spouse dies the other is released to re-marry.  Paul relates this to the believer's relatiohsip to sin and death.  When the believer dies he is released from all obligation to the law of sin and death.  He is then free to remarry, in this case, to Christ.  

In this sermon, we examine the implications of living under the reign of grace.  Paul said that people who live under the reign of sin are free from righteousness (justice).  This means that a sinful people, a sinful society is free from righteousness.  They live under and demand injustice.  But a people that live under grace, under righteousness have a truly just society.

At the point of salvation, we are no longer living under the reign of (government and authority) of sin and death, we are no living under the reign (government and authority) of grace.  One brings freedom and liberty under Christ, the other leads to death. 

The law had a purpose from Adam to Abraham to Moses, to Jesus.  What was that purpose and what is the purpose today?  As we go through the book of Romans, we cannot understand God's grace without understanding His law.  This sermon gives some insight into that purpose. 

It was by one man, Adam that sin entered the world.   It is by the life, death and resurrection of one Man, Jesus, that sinful man may be justified, saved, and redeemed.  We have a choice to live by one or the other.  This sermon explains this as well as its practical ramifications in everyday life.  

In this sermon, Paul discusses another benefit to justification by faith: Joy.  This joy surpasses our understanding, over all cirucumstances, from the little things to the big.  If you are needing some encouragement, this is the sermon for you.

In this study, we look at the results of being justified by faith alone.  We have peace with God, access to the Father, hope and tribulation.  From tribulation, which we are to embrace, it produces, character and hope.  knowing our justification by faith establishes us firmly in God.  Nothing will move or shake us.  

In the aftermath of the Charlie Kirk assassination, there were numerous commentaries, stories, outbursts, etc. about him and what he represented.  In this sermon, I take a look at a few biblical examples to see what constitutes a Christian Martyr's death and if Kirk was in fact a martyr.

In this sermon, we study how Abraham's faith is the same faith that all bleleivers have.  It is the faith in practice that is essential.  To beleive, to have faith, is not something that is "out there" not to be realized, it is something that is tangible, to be apprehended, and to be applied.  Enjoy.

In this sermon, we study the expansion of the blessings of the covenant, from Abraham to his descendants to the spiritual children of Abraham, the church.  We also take a brief look at the world's attempts to keep the Christian in a place of guilt in order to manipulate them.  Enjoy!

Paul made it very clear in Romans that our justification is by faith alone.  However, James Chapter 2 says that it is not just about faith, it is also about works.  Which is it?  This sermon defines the bibilical meaning behind justification by faith followed by works.  

Our understanding of salvation rarely goes beyond our teaching in Sunday School.  However, without a proper understanding of the gospel, we risk limiting our growth in the kingdom.  Enjoy.

Far too often the gospel is presented without the need for repentance.  Rather, the gospel is presented as accepting Jesus as something extra in a person's life.  The acceptance of Jesus is the acceptance of life itself.  Therefore, it is essential that the need for the gospel, the need for Jesus be presented.  

Paul addressed the Jews in his epistle to the Romans.  He anticipated their objections to the Gospel of Christ to the Gentiles.  Therefore, he stated the objection and emphatically stated the response.  Though the unbeleiving Jew could not justify himself, just like the unbelieving church-goer, in the end he only condemns himself. 

In his letter to the Romans, Paul addressed the sins of the Gentiles.  He then addressed the sins of the hypocrisy of the Jews.  Their confidence was in receiving the law, being part of the covenant, the chosen people of God.  However, Paul told them that without faithful adherence to the covenant, their blood and their circumcision didn't mean anything.  The New Testament Christian has much the same issue today.  That is, he is confident in his salvation by grace and that he is no longer under the law.  However, without faithful obedience to the covenant, the Christians' confession, baptism, church attendance, et. al., mean nothing. 

In this sermon, we examine the uncomfortable topic of the rewards in heaven and the wrath in hell.  Paul addressed the Jews, who thought their birthright in the Covenant secured for them a place in heaven; however, Paul blows this theory apart when we tells them in no uncertain terms that God is not partial.  Everyone will be judged by their deeds.  

When God gives a people up, or gives a people over to themselves, He does this for redemptive purposes.  God allows the sinners that suppress the truth in unrighteousness to go further into their own sin.  He allows them to feel the consequences by giving them over to themselves, releasing them from His divine restraints.  Paul lists many sins that are representative of all sins as the people, the culture, spiral downward into debauchery.  But all of this has redemptive purposes.  

In this study we look at the parallel of what God reveals to man.  Last week we studied God revealing His righteousness to those who believed.  This week we study God revealing His wrath to those who supress the truth in unrighteousness.  God is a God of love, but He is also a God of wrath.

In this study, we once again look at the gospel of the Book of Romans.  The foundation of the Reformation, "The Just Shall Live By Faith" is here laid out for us.  These two verses are packed with Old Testament language, and are extremely relevant to us today due to the pull of "Universalism" on the faith.  

As we get into our study on Romans, it is important to see just how Romans is the gospel of God.  It is a transition from the gospel of the Old Testament to the explanation of the same gospel in the New Testament.  

In this new series, we examine the wealth of content that Paul gives to the Romans in his greeting.  The book of Romans has rightly been called "The Gospel of Romans."  The continuity between the Old Covenant and the New is systematized in this book.  Enjoy.

In this episode we examine the traps that the enemy sets for us. 

In this second part of the series, "Silencing the Enemy", we examine those who are most susceptible to listening to the enemy.  

Satan bombards Christians with noise.  One of our greatest tasks is to worship God and drown out the noise of the enemy.  This sermon defines the nature of the Christian's responsibility to do just that.

The Children of Israel were saved from Egypt in order that they may worship God.  The Tabernacle was built with beautiful furniture, but regardless of how beautiful it was, the tabernacle itself was not to be worshipped.  We need to hear that same caution today.  We cannot worship the ministry, we must worship Christ alone.

In this sermon, we discuss how God finances His kingdom through the vocation of His people.  Building the church is not the same thing as building the kingdom.  The church helped in building the foundation of Western civilization; however, when the church began emphasizing evangelizing individuals rather than the nations, they handed off many of the kingdom responsibilities fo the State. 

In this sermon, we examine the privelege of serving the King and His kingdom.  God gives us the opportunity to serve Him with our free-will offering, but He also gives us the opportunity to serve Him with the skills we put on.  All of this advances the Kingdom of God for His glory.

In this episode we take a look at the reflection of God's glory that came from Moses when he came down the mountain with the new tablets of the covenant. The people were terrified witht he glory that shone from his face, but he kept his face uncovered until he delivered the word of God.  Only then did he cover it.  What does this mean to us?  What is the demand on Christians who have the glory of God upon them?  What is every Christian's responsibility?

In this episode, we review the renewal of the covenant and will examine three of the four foundational pillars of a covenant/constitution.  What are these three essential pillars and how are they also to be found in our own United States Constitution?  This explains some of these aspects.

In God's abundant grace and mercy, He forgave Israel their sin of idolatry; however, there were still consequences.  God still wouldn't abide with them in camp.  In addition, although He would still allow them to go into the promised land, He had a very stern warning, they were not to commit idolatry with the gods of the pagan occupants of the land.  This is a stern warning to us.  Before we say we would never do this, consider the State of Washington recognizing two Muslim holidays.  This is an official act. Christians are to be discipling the nations, instead, in the name of tolerance, we are being discipled by ungodly religions. 

The story of Lazarus is well known; however, what isn't as well known is the purpose of the death of Lazarus.  Jesus had a specific purpose for his death and his resurrection, but the Jews had a very different purpose for his death.  This difference is still with us today, we see it at almost every funeral.

When Moses didn't know how God would bring them into the Promised Land without His presence, Moses asked God to show him His ways.  After God explained His ways, it was still confusing, so Moses asked God to show him His glory.  All of this amounted to the same thing, God said to Moses to follow the Angel (Preincarnate Jesus).  In the New Testament, Jesus said the same thing, "Follow Me."

The modern concept of revival is not the biblical approach to revival and revivals of the past.  This section of scripture reveals how God humiliates His people in order to turn them to repentance and prayer.  It is a move of God to turn from their wicked ways that promotes true, godly revival.  

Moses was the mediator of the covenant.  His goal was to help Israel to the Promised Land.  He interceded for Israel when they created the gold calf to worship, but he was not able to give his own life for the lives of these idolaters.  He didn't have a sinless life, like Jesus.  We too are called to be covenant mediators, but we are not called to be the savior to anyone else.  There is only one Savior, and He died once, for all.  

Aaron catered to the demands of the people, settingup a democracy in effect.  The people demanded he create an idol for them when Moses took too long getting the commandments of God from Sinai.  However, when Moses came down, he took moral authority, had the moral courage to demand that the idol be destroyed.  We need men of moral courage, who speak with moral authority in the name of God today, rather than the Aaron's of the church, who compromise and create idol worship.

When Moses gets the tablets of the covenant, this should be an exciting time for Israel; however, when Moses delays coming down and because the children of Israel are a stiff-necked people, they demand Aaron make for them a god that they could worship.  They couldn't wait for God's word, God's instructions, it was taking longer than what they thought, so they created their own idol.We have God's word right now, His Word, the Bible.  Far too many people think that it takes to long to read, understand and apply, so they go off and make an idol for themselves, and worship it as their own creation.  We can learn a lot from the lessons of Israel, this one in particular today.

In this sermon, we explore the biblical understanding of taxes, Holy Spirit inspired work, and of the Sabbath rest.  God defines, directs and controls each of these areas.  If we give them over to the State, we not only put the State before God, but we are enslaved to it. 

The garments of the high priest speaks volumes of the work of Jesus Christ.

The tabernacle itself speaks volumes of the work of Jesus.