Podcasts about 2019matthew

Baptism and the Lord's SupperJune 6th, 2019Matthew 28:19Matthew 26: 26-29

January 26, 2019Matthew 4:12-23 NRSV Kevin PowellFirst Lutheran ChurchCalgary, AB How would you know God's voice if you heard it? How would you describe that voice to your friends?However you hear it, God's call on our lives can be a fearful thing. And it's ongoing. It never stops. Life in Jesus is a life of service and a life of transformation. It's a life that embodies good news. † † † Support our ministry at www.canadahelps.org/en/dn/m/6999 Remember to Rate & Review our podcast!

January 12, 2019Matthew 3:13-17 NRSV Kevin PowellFirst Lutheran Church Calgary, AB It is in baptism where God’s promise to Jesus overflows from his life and spills into ours. † † † Support our ministry at www.canadahelps.org/en/dn/m/6999 Remember to Rate & Review our podcast!

January 5, 2019Matthew 2:1-12 NRSV Kevin PowellFirst Lutheran ChurchCalgary, AB The outward journey is an expression of the inward journey, the journey within one’s self to help see with greater clarity who it is that God has created in you, and to commune with the Christ who lives in you.Leaving home to be challenged and stretched. To be terrified and excited. To be confronted with the world’s depth of sadness, its surprising joy, and the particulars of everyday life, help you understand the journey within, and better understand yourself. † † † Support our ministry at www.canadahelps.org/en/dn/m/6999 Remember to Rate & Review our podcast!

December 29, 2019Matthew 2:13-23 NRSV Kevin PowellFirst Lutheran ChurchCalgary, AB You are God’s creative Word that has become flesh. You are God’s living Word speaking life and salvation. You are God’s eternal Word dwelling in Your world, wherever you are, and wherever you go. † † † Support our ministry at www.canadahelps.org/en/dn/m/6999 Remember to Rate & Review our podcast!

December 22, 2019Matthew 1:18-25 NRSV Kevin PowellFirst Lutheran ChurchCalgary, AB The third Sunday in Advent is the Sunday called "Love." It is important in this advent season to listen to and discern where God is leading us. Discernment doesn’t stop. Life is a constant quest that requires ongoing discernment, ongoing listening, ongoing questioning. And ongoing purposeful action. † † † Support our ministry at www.canadahelps.org/en/dn/m/6999 Remember to Rate & Review our podcast!

James Swynford sermonDecember 29th, 2019Matthew 2:13-23

Sermon by Pastor Ryan StrebeckDecember 22, 2019Matthew 1:18-25

James Swynford SermonDecember 8th, 2019Matthew 3:1-12 Holy MountainHorace Pippin

James Swynford sermonDecember 1st, 2019Matthew 24:29-44 Fig TreeYvonne Ayoub

Sunday, November 24, 2019Matthew 28:16-20Pastor Serena Wolfe

Sermon Preached November 17, 2019Matthew 4:18-22Support the show (https://secure.siteorganic.com/App/Giving/firs6114217)

James Swynford sermonNovember 3rd, 2019Matthew 23:1-12

November 10, 2019Matthew 5: 38-42My thesis for the study:In the sermon on the mount, Jesus teaches us how to live in the world. Jesus gives actual instruction and formation. More than rules or law, the SOM is a set of convictions about moral truth.38“You have heard that it was said, ‘An eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth.’39 But I say to you, Do not resist an evildoer. But if anyone strikes you on the right cheek,turn the other also; 40 and if anyone wants to sue you and take your coat, give your cloakas well; 41 and if anyone forces you to go one mile, go also the second mile. 42 Give to everyone who begs from you, and do not refuse anyone who wants to borrow from you.Where? Summary: Since all of Jesus actions and teachings show us that he is not interested in mere rule-keeping righteousness, we find that he is working for restoration, and that he places high demands upon those who follow him.INTRODUCTION1. How should Christians respond when they are insulted, pressured, manipulated, forced to do something you would not choose to do? Or to flip the question around—how would you like a Christian to respond to you if you get pushy or manipulative, even pressing and insulting.2. Welcome: Hi Pals, this is Blaine Hill with the Simply Stated Podcast for the Journey Sunday School class at Lake Murray Presbyterian Church in Chapin, SC. This season of the podcast is on Jesus sermon on the mount, in Matthew chapters 5 through 7. Today we are reading Matthew 5:38-42 retaliation. I’ll try to get the basic ideas of the passage simply stated, then we’ll see what we can learn about the person of Jesus, understand theologically, about eternity and take some ethical guides from the reading.3. Read 5:38-42A BLOCK4. Stating things Simplya. This is the 5th in a series of antithesis: you heard in the past…but I say…. This is the structure Jesus uses in his teaching about how he is fulfilling the law (5:17)b. The law: an eye for an eye, and a tooth for a tooth.i. Leviticus 24:20; Exodus 21:24; Deut 19:21ii. It is pitiless and harsh, but it is not unfair and not barbariciii. This law ismeant to LIMIT retaliation. One may not take a life for an eye or tooth, contrary to Lamech in Genesis 4:23.iv. This law requires justice. Anyone who strikes someone else and blinds them must be punished. You can sees the issue of justice clearly in that a slave owner may not blind a slave (Ex. 21:26) and there is to be one law for alien and citizen, alike (Leviticus 24:22).v. The punishment is to fit the crime. It is not just to mutilate someone by cutting off a hand for stealing some bread.vi. Compare this the a culture of personal revenge and vendetta (think of the movie The Godfather) or ‘honor killings’ in Pakistan.vii. Chrysostom, a Church Father, pointed out that it would be cruel not to have a command for society to punish a destructively violent person.viii. Still, as Martin Luther King, Jr. observe, this law leaves everybody toothless and blind.ix. This law is harsh and pitiless, but it is not unfair and is not mere rule by force.c. So we have the floor, what does Jesus build above that? “Do not resist the evildoer.”i. Resist. Put bluntly, “resist” is a poor translation. Repay is a better way to understand what Jesus is talking about. One of a few places where the NIV and NRSV are significantly in error.· Carter renders as do not violently resist, ie we should oppose evil but not with physical violence· Bruner has repay· Hagner sticks with resist, but sees it as the act, not evil person.This teaching does not excuse or prohibit opposition to evil in the world.ii. Evil ? Devil, no. Peson, maybe. More likely the act.iii. So: don’t payback the bad action. Don’t return evil for evil (I Peter 3:9)iiiv. Illustrations will emphasize this as a personal ethic.Conclusions: Jesus teaches “Do not repay evil actions.”d. A point about the illustrations: Jesus is talking to you about your behavior. This is not an abstraction.It does not prohibit the restraint and punishment of evil acts necessary for civil societye. Four provocative, realistic examples to help us to consider how to apply Jesus’ teaching when treated with contempt, coercion and manipulation. THESE ARE NOT RULES TO REPLACE THE OLD LAW! (5:17).In each provocative case, Jesus is looking for you to make an imaginative kingdom-based response that is rooted in love.Instead of attacking or running away, how do we stand and face the wrong doer?f. Example 1 ContemptBut if anyone strikes you on the right cheek, turn the other also;· This seems more of a slap than a punch· On the right cheek so with the back of the hand,· act of contempt, rather than physical assault· We have to wonder, “How often were people in Jesus’ audience smacked in the face?”· Offering the other cheek is a form of standing to confront the person offering us contemptg. Example 2 coercion40 and if anyone wants to sue you and take your coat, give your cloak as well;· Most people wore two garments. Cloak as a kind of loose underalls. Coat was a heavier outer garment.· The Cloak was what ordinary people slept in to stay warm.· If the cloak was taken as collateral for a loan, it had to be returned at sundown (Ex 20:26). 1) puny loan! 2) so they could stay warm at night· Very shabby business to be using legal pressure in a conflict to take someone’s warmth at night.· Offering the cloak (undergarment-literally the shirt off their back). Is this a way to use shame to confront the person?h. Example 3 coercionif anyone forces you to go one mile, go also the second mile.· Roman soldier could require someone to carry the soldiers armor for one mile. I believe they could use force to extract the labor.· This was adamantly despised by the Jewish people. It reminded them personally that their nation had been conquered.· Think of how agrivating it would be to have a soldier come up to you on the road and simply hand you there armor and say, come with me. Maybe you were in a hurry or headed somewhere else. Then you had to walk a mile back.· Maybe we could compare it to the requirement to house British soldiers that infuriated our forefathers in colonial America. Or enslaved people Africans required to take on new names in the Americas. Both of these things reminded people of their subjugation· Jesus recommends confronting this coercion by finding a shocking occasion of freedom. Choose to continue service. The first mile is co-erced, but the second mile is an independent act.i. Example manipulationGive to everyone who begs from you, and do not refuse anyone who wants to borrow from you.· St. Augustine points out that we give and lend, but that does not mean it must be exactly what they ask to have or borrow.· This does not seem to address commercial lending, with normal collateral, terms, etc.· This is more the loan or gift requested on personal terms: the in-law asking for money. Again. So the situation is mundane manipulation, for money or something else.· How will you be generous in the face of someone who is relying on the relationship with you largely for their own benefit?B BLOCK5. Person: What do Jesus words reveals about who he is?· He certainly knows how people behave and misbehave toward each other.· Jesus wants us to actively engage with evil actions in the world, but not to pay them back. This is very much like his own incarnation. The Son of God became human to engage with our need for salvation.· Jesus lived and died by this principal. He engaged Jewish and Pagan authorities. In his capture and trial, Jesus could have talked his way out of things, but he chose to face and confront those before him6. Theology: What theological idea can we draw from this teaching?· We must remember the grace of the beatitudes if we are going to actually live with grace in the face of contempt, coercion and manipulation7. Eternity: How does this teaching link our everyday life and eternity?·8. Ethics: What ethical teaching or guide can we take from this teaching?(Bruner’s little steps; Willard’s dikaiosune –how is a good person to live?)· Contempt, coercion and manipulation are common in human life, so we need to know how to stand and confront them in a Christian way.· What ways can you think of contemporary examples of how you experience, witness or perhaps act yourself outo Contempto Coerciono Manipulation· Is there a way to stand with humanity? Turn the other cheek· Is there a way to retain freedom in the face of coercion? Cloak/extra mile· Is there a way to point out the manipulation for what it is?CLOSINGThanks for listening to the podcast for the Journey Sunday School class. A Production of Simply Stated from Hey, Vern! Media.Invite comment or questionsGod bless you

Sermon Preached October 20, 2019Matthew 20:20-28; Philippians 2:1-11Support the show (https://secure.siteorganic.com/App/Giving/firs6114217)

October 20, 2019Matthew 5: 31-32My thesis for the study:In the sermon on the mount, Jesus teaches us how to live in the world. Jesus gives actual instruction and formation. More than rules or law, the SOM is a set of convictions about moral truth.Where? Summary: Since all of Jesus actions and teachings show us that he is not interested in mere rule-keeping righteousness, we find that he is working for restoration, and that he places high demands upon those who follow him.INTRODUCTION1. Interesting quote to start2. Welcome: Hi Pals, this is Blaine Hill with the Simply Stated Podcast for the Journey Sunday School class at Lake Murray Presbyterian Church in Chapin, SC. This season of the podcast is on Jesus sermon on the mount, in Matthew chapters 5 through 7. Last week we talked about self-indulgent lust. Today we are reading Matthew 5:31-32, about divorce, and so marriage as well.We are using a four part framework to understand different sections of the Sermon on the mount1. Person: What do Jesus words reveals about who he is?2. Theology: What theological idea can we draw from this teaching?3. Ethics: What ethical teaching or guide can we take from this teaching?4. Eternity: How does this teaching link our everyday life and eternity?3. But first let’s read the passage and try to get the basic pieces simply stated.4. Read 5:21-26We don’t have the vivid imagery like of the last two passages—buring garbage, severed hands and plucked eye.But the words are very abrupt, bracing, upsetting, startling.A BLOCK5. Stating things Simplya. Start with my illustrations of covenantb. It was also said—· 3rd in a series of six sayings where Jesus contrasts regumular religious teaching with his fulfillment of the law.· Jesus subject is the male desire to get rid on an unpleasing woman, which men often hold as very important. This is his topic, more than divorce.· Not as simple as commenting on or even fulfilling one of the ten commandments like do not murder or do not commit adultery. Jesus is commenting on regular practice of the ancient world. Practice:If a man kicks his wife out of the household, he should provide proper documentation. that is solidified in Deuteronomy 24. “Suppose a man marries …then divorces….”c. Jesus view was shocking in his day.d. Divorce was really a male insititution. Ie women could not initiate divorce or survice with out ite. Without those divorces papers, the woman is reduced to prostitution and even that misery could taken from here. She would be unable to re-marry. Here we might long to hear Jesus say, “Blessed are the powerless…”f. But I say…Jesus seems to be taking a side in debate of his day about divorce….g. Unchastity· Curious old fashioned word· Greek word a little helpful: porneia, which gives us the English word pornography. Sexual infidelity· Finds out she had sex before the marriage? That seems unlikely· Maybe paraphrase as corrupting breach of marriage?· Would domestic violence count as such breach of marriage?h. Can you make someone else and adulterer? Bruner “drives her to adultery” as fact of lack of way to live decentlyi. Divorce is public, unlike private disagreements and anger.j. Hyperbole? He did not intend the hand cutting or eye plucking literally, should we take this literally?6. Probably need another passage: 19:5, which takes us to Genesis 2:247. Can we compare this to the necceisty of the church in parts of Africa resolving how to accept men into membership who are already married to more than one woman. [too complicating]a.8.B BLOCK9. Jesus introduces himself as the key to scripturea. Person· Teaches that the goal of marriage is to be a life long union.· Is this the same Jesus we saw as wry if not humor, suddenly turned starkly serious? Or is he dealing in the same absurdity’s?· His cousing, John the Baptist, was beheaded for criticizing the marriage of the kingb. Theology· Clarifies the intent and meaning of maariage if we take in Mt 19:5· Justification as decent enough is rejectedc. Ethics (Bruner’s little steps; Willard’s dikaiosune –how is a good person to live?)· Martin luther taught to forgive and occasion of infidelity, but not ongoing sin that takes mercy for granted. So found that Christians could divorce.· Raises hard questions: can disciples of Jesus divorce? Remarry? The answer seems yes. Blessed are the poor in spirit.· Jesus rejects doing wrong if proper protocol is followed· Disciples have KoH resources of reconciliation· Christians divorcing is not unlike medical triage. To save some people or things, someone else—the marriage—dies.· Jesus is not teaching a set of rules—always stay married—any more than allow divorce as long as the proper form is followed· Breaking covenant bonds is damaging, and Jesus wants to prevent that hurt to people.10. Eternity.· Marriage is a covenant, so is meant to endure.· Divorce disrupts created order, even though it also saves people from destructive and corrosive wickedness like betrayal and violence.· Remember that Jesus begins with grace based benediction11. Since all of Jesus actions and teachings show us that he is not interested in mere rule-keeping righteousness, we find thathe is working for restoration, and that he places high demands upon those who follow him.CLOSINGExtra12. Least and greatest in the kingdom of heaven.Bounus: Tragedy as conflict of two virtues in a character.

James Swynford sermonOctober 6, 2019Matthew 20:20-28

October 6, 2019Matthew 5:13-16 NRSV Kevin PowellFirst Lutheran ChurchCalgary, AB Jesus Radio Superstar Vol. 4 continues with the song "Shine" by Collective Soul. ou don’t have to go looking for God’s light of life. That life already lives in you. That light is Jesus who through his death and resurrection, makes you fully alive. Today is World Communion Sunday. Today we celebrate, with believers all over the world, the Holy Supper. And when we share this meal, we recognize and celebrate the living light that is in all of us, as a Collective Soul, a shared Spirit, and a common humanity who bear Christ’s name. † † † Support our ministry at www.canadahelps.org/en/dn/m/6999Remember to Rate & Review our podcast!

Matthew 5:21-26 October 6, 2019Matthew 5: 21-26 and 27-30My thesis for the study:In the sermon on the mount, Jesus teaches us how to live in the world. Jesus gives actual instruction and formation. More than rules or law, the SOM is a set of convictions about moral truth. Where? Summary: Since all of Jesus actions and teachings show us that he is not interested in mere rule-keeping righteousness, we find that he is working for restoration, and that he places high demands upon those who follow him. 1. Start with one or two quotes. Did not expect to be talking about hell.“The holiness of God is at war with all birreness, hatred and hurting” Frederich Dale Bruner, The Christbook: Mattehw 1-12 rev and expanded 213“God has threatened hell, not in order to sast us therin, but that he might persuade us to flee [from it]” Chrysostom quoted by FD Bruner ibid. 213. 2. Welcome: Hi Pals, this is Blaine Hill with the Simply Stated Podcast for the Journey Sunday School class at Lake Murray Presbyterian Church in Chapin, SC. Today we are reading Matthew 5:21-26, and if time allows, verse 27-30. That means it is rage and resentment day at Simply stated, and lust, if we don’t get stuck in anger. 3. Listen know the God’s word:4. Read 5:21-26 5. Todays’ passage, and the rest of this chapter helps us understand something puzzling from last week.Jesus said 5:17-fulfill.Very traditional and correct way of understanding is to say Jesus accomplishes the law. He does what they require.Let’s look at Jesus’ own words about the lawWe can clearly see and understand what Jesus means when he said that he fulfills scripture. For the rest of chapter, Jesus repeats a phrase: “You have heard that it was said, [then he mentions something from the law], but I say to you…And then Jesus gives a teaching. That second teaching is his fulfilling the law.You have heard it said…I say…· Murderàrage, contempt and resentment· Adulteryàlust· Love neighboràlove enemiesJesus is explicitly contrast the OT scripture here! 6. A few points stated simplya. Think I was wrong last week, when I said that be angry here was to act out in rage.. Anger could be furious rage, but the word also means lingering resentment. Jesus is addressing nursing a grudge.b. Insult. The word Jesus used was Raca which sounds rough and contemptuous. We don’t know the exact meaning, but it is not nice. Maybe it is like the word stupid. If we call someone stupid, that is a surprisingly strong insult.c. You fool: idiot. Moron. d. If I do something foolish, and someone wants to tease me about it, they could do it without attacking or insulting me, especially by changing their tone: “Blaine, that was not smart!” I might not like it, but I’ll perceive they are really pointing out my misjudgement. But if they call me a name or ugly word—and we all know what those very hostile words are—that is painful. e. If you know a child that has been verbally abused by a parent—or God forbid, you were—you have seen the damage verbal attacks can inflict.f. Judgement: magistrate’s officeg. Sanhedrin--supreme courth. Hell of Gehenna—very specific place. The smouldering dump outside of the city of Jerusalem. Maybe compare to the sewage plant i. Pretty clear that Jesus meant this to be suprising and shocking, an unexpected escalation.j. Brother or sister—another Christian. k. Temple—place of sacrifice in Jerusalem. Hugely important action in the life of faithful Jews. And Jesus is saying to leave, to go patch things with someone. Maybe we could understand it if we say, “If you are walking forward to take the Lord’s Supper, and you remember that a brother or sister has something against you.l. Court—seems to be debtors prison. 7. Jesus introduces himself as the key to scripturea. Personb. Theologyc. Ethicsd. Eternity 8. What do Jesus words reveals about who he is.9. What theological idea can we draw from this teaching?10. What ethical teaching or guide can we take from this teaching?11. How does this teaching link our everyday life and eternity?12. 13. Person. a. First, Jesus is claiming a level of authority that is hard for us to first recognize, authority not simply to interpret scripture, but to bring it to fullness. Do not murderàanger, resentment, cussing at people, settling disagreements.b. If we think about Jesus and anger. 14. Theology: Our relationship with God is directly linked to our relationship to other people. Our day to day treatment of others is directly connected to eternity.15. Ethics (Bruner’s little steps) How will we deal with conflict, either our wrong or theirs?a. When we recognize that someone has something against us, that is the moment to begin to make it rightb. Try to settle difficulty directly with the other personc. Movement from holding something against someone, to having hurt someone else.16. Eternity. a. The power of resentment to enduringly poison us and our relationshipb. Caveat: Our understanding of Hell is colored by Dante, Milton and of cartoon devils and angels. It is quite difficult to set some of that aside to clearly listen to Jesus’ words about hades or the Kingdom of Heaven.c. Remember that in his Jesus first public teaching, Jesus says—“Repent, for the kingdom of heaven has come near.” Mt 4:17 i. We are called to turn to a different way of living-Repent ii. KoH is something we can experience at presentd. Jesus is the one raised to be the first person to enter eternal life, and be raised up into heaven. He promises the thief on the cross to be with him 17. Since all of Jesus actions and teachings show us that he is not interested in mere rule-keeping righteousness, we find thathe is working for restoration, and that he places high demands upon those who follow him. 18. What is Jesus relationship to the law and the prophets (Scripture)?a. Not to abolishb. Fulfillc. Accomplish 19. Least and greatest in the kingdom of heaven.Bounus: Tragedy as conflict of two virtues in a character.

Sermon Preached September 29, 2019Matthew 5:10-12Support the show (https://secure.siteorganic.com/App/Giving/firs6114217)

Since all of Jesus actions and teachings show us that he is not interested in mere rule-keeping righteousness, we find that he is working for restoration, and that he places high demands upon those who follow him.My notes for The Journal Sunday School Class and the podcast September 29, 2019Matthew 5:17-20; perhaps with Matthew 9:1-4My thesis for the study:In the sermon on the mount, Jesus teaches us how to live in the world. Jesus gives actual instruction and formation. More than rules or law, the SOM is a set of convictions about moral truth. 1. Welcome: Hi Pals, this is Blaine Hill with the Simply Stated Podcast for the Journey Sunday School class at Lake Murray Presbyterian Church in Chapin, SC. We continue in Jesus sermon on the Mount in the 5th through 7th Chapters of the Gospel according to Matthew. In the last few weeks we read the series of blessings that Jesus announces as the opening of the sermon, for example, “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the Kingdom of Heaven.” We also heard Jesus tell us that we are the salt of the earth and light of the world. Keep in mind that Jesus is announcing his Father’s goodness and grace to us, a grace that gives meaning, purpose and shape to our life. God’s work in Jesus blesses us and calls us to new life.Summary: Since all of Jesus actions and teachings show us that he is not interested in mere rule-keeping righteousness, we find that he is working for restoration, and that he places high demands upon those who follow him. 2. Read the passage 3. Since all of Jesus actions and teachings show us that he is not interested in mere rule-keeping righteousness, we find thathe is working for restoration, and that he places high demands upon those who follow him. 4. What is Jesus relationship to the law and the prophets (Scripture)?a. Not to abolishb. Fulfillc. Accomplish 5. Some ways to think about the law…(WCF XXI)a. Moralb. Ceremonialc. Judicial—Civil lawd. Three uses of the law: restrain vice, convict of sin, guide us in holiness.e. Though the law is not needed to create works for salvation it is still of great use to inform of God’s will, show and convict of sin, show our need for Christ, show the blessings of obedience, show us how to live 6. Least and greatest in the kingdom of heaven.a. Least in comparison to John the Baptist Mt 11:11-12b. Who is great? The least Mt 18:1-5c. Inversion Matthew 19:30, 20:1ff.d. My inversion theory. America focused on middle, Jesus on first and last.[i] 7. This passage gives us a structure to consider scripture: Person/Theology/Ethics/Eternitya. Person of Jesus. verse 17—consider how amazing that Jesus sets up the question. Scripture is defined in relationship to himself. He is not setting it aside, but is not simply affirming scripture in his teaching. He is the one to bring scripture to its point and end. Importance of the person of Jesus: Hymn-Just give me Jesus. For example, the first thing Jesus does after the sermon on the mount is not only to heal a leper, but to do so by touching the leper (8:1-4). I do choose! His healing is a personal act and decision by Jesus.According to the law, that act should make Jesus ceremonially unclean, but in fact the exact opposite happens. He makes the leper clean and restores the man in his ability to go into the temple.To understand the Kingdom of Heaven, to know how to live life well, we start with the person of Jesus, the Son of God. b. Theology. 18—God has not abandoned his work within creation. In fact it is the person of Jesus where God is completing his work of righteousness, justice and restoration. c. Ethics-19 Jesus embeds scripture into the life of disciples and Christian community by both action and teaching.d. Eternity-Jesus attaches our conduct to eternity and sets our goal far beyond ourselves and own power. What can be more absurd than to say that mortals could generate for themselves anything of heaven. 8. Let’s look at the first issue Jesus takes upe. Person: You heard, but I say 21-22. Given that the next ethical points deal with behavior, as does insulting and cursing, it seems that anger here is action, not just interior emotion.f. Theology: 23-24 reconciliation over practices of worship. Notice this is not a prohibition against participating, but saying to go directly and be reconciled.g. Ethics: 24b-25 be reconciled. Seek it out! It this pragmatic wisdom? A larger vision?h. Eternity 26. Never. 9. Some takeawaysi. Jesus’ disciples are not satisfied with the minimally acceptable amount. Following him means we are oriented to the standards and goals of KoH. As a follower of Jesus, do you need to lift up your expectations?j. Sometimes we play down the seriousness of our sin. Jesus is willing to forgive us all our sins, but he is not willing to simply dismiss them. On the other hand, we can pretend that someone’s sin against us does not really hurt or harm us. Is there some sin we have done, or even had committed against us, and need to recognize its significance?k. We cannot live in a proper relationship with God while maintaining a broken relationship in Christian fellowship.l. How might our life be different—better—if we take seriously the high ambitions and calling that Jesus has for how we conduct ourselves. This impact to the world is set up in the verses that precede (13-16), with call to be salt and light. [i] Paul Cantor https://www.amazon.com/Culture-Dark-Side-American-Dream/dp/0813177308/ref=sr_1_1?keywords=paul+cantor&qid=1569524444&sr=8-1

Sermon Preached - September 22, 2019Matthew 5:9Support the show (https://secure.siteorganic.com/App/Giving/firs6114217)

September 15, 2019Matthew 7:7-13 NRSV Kevin PowellFirst Lutheran ChurchCalgary, AB Jesus Radio Superstar Vol. 4 continues with the song "Lonely Road Of Faith" by Kid Rock.Jesus’ Sermon on the Mount is about reuniting that which was cut off. It provides a vision for putting our egos aside, our needs for power, prestige, and possessions, so that we can dive deeply into our humanity, our human connections, our relationships with each other, and with everything God created. † † † Support our ministry at www.canadahelps.org/en/dn/m/6999Remember to Rate & Review our podcast!

Sermon Preached September 8, 2019Matthew 5:8 Support the show (https://secure.siteorganic.com/App/Giving/firs6114217)

Sermon Preached September 1, 2019Matthew 5:7Support the show (https://secure.siteorganic.com/App/Giving/firs6114217)

Sermon Preached August 25, 2019Matthew 5:6 Support the show (https://secure.siteorganic.com/App/Giving/firs6114217)

Sermon Preached August 4, 2019Matthew 5:1-3Support the show (https://secure.siteorganic.com/App/Giving/firs6114217)

You Are RighteousSixth Sunday after Holy TrinityJuly 28-29, 2019Matthew 5:20 For I tell you, unless your righteousness exceeds that of the scribes and Pharisees, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven. In the Name of the Father and of the +Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.It is possible to twist the good news of God’s love into something perverse. Anyone who says: “God forgives my sins so my sins don’t matter and I can do what I want” is a blasphemer.Jesus warns against this in today’s Gospel. He says: “Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them.” The Law is not evil, nor is it arbitrary. Its moral code and patterns are good. They embody and express God’s good and gracious will. It was not an accusation when God told Adam not to eat the forbidden fruit in the garden. Nor did it damn him. It was simply good. It instructed Adam. It taught him who God was and who he was. The Law is still good even though our fallen flesh hates and chafes against it. The Law has not been abolished and it cannot be abolished. It has, however, been fulfilled and thus in being fulfilled it instructs the Christian more fully than before.The Law is fulfilled by Our Lord’s active and passive obedience. His active obedience is that He did not sin. He lived according to the Law of Moses. He did not engage in lustful thoughts or envy or drunkenness. He loved his neighbor as Himself and held nothing back. He was good the way that we are evil. For He was conceived by the Holy Spirit in the Virgin Mary without sin and, though He was sorely tempted throughout His earthly life, and had to live among sin with sinners and with the consequences of other people’s sins, Jesus did not sin. He kept the law.His passive obedience is the mirror image. Even though He was without sin He suffered the full punishment due to sinners. He accepted the punishment meant for others. He fulfilled all of Justice’s demands against us. So He fulfilled the Law by doing everything it said to do and refraining from all that it forbid. He also fulfilled the law by allowing it to do to Him all it should have done to us. In this way, He ended the Law’s accusations against us and won our salvation to give to us as a gift without merit or worthiness in us. God be praised!But this did NOT render the accusations and demands of the Law stupid or meaningless. The Law was never arbitrary. Jesus did not jump through hoops for us. He kept the Law. The Law is God’s will for our lives. The active obedience of Jesus Christ was not only substitutionary. It is also an example. Fulfilling the Law shows Christians how to live and how to die. He not only resists temptation in our place and tells us to resist temptation but He also shows us how to resist temptation. He inspires us to fight harder because we love Him as sons love their Father and we want to be like Him. He shows us how to live, what is good, what love looks like.Jesus did NOT give Himself as an example because He wanted to make you feel guilty. He gave Himself as an example that you might rejoice and grow up in Him. Imagine the little boy who sees his father chopping wood and wants to be like him. Does the boy feel guilty that when he tries he does not do as good of a job as his father? No. He basks in his father’s attention and is eager for the day when he will be like him.The Law does NOT pass away.The Law is of interest to weak Christians and strong Christians, to the theologically immature, and to the theologically sophisticated. You can’t be a Christian and despise God’s Law. Having been fulfilled and embodied in Jesus Christ, the Law is more eternal, more substantial than ever. It does not pass away and to love Jesus is to love His Law.His passive obedience is also in our stead and is an example for us. He shows us how to live by faith, to trust in God’s goodness in the midst of evil, how to make a good confession, even, really, how to be a Christian, because He shows us how to die as He dies for us. He shows us not just how to resist temptation and keep the Law but also how to live in a world that is full of sin and sorrow and injustice. Allowing the Law to do to Him what it should have done to us He makes the Law more real, more solid and lasting than it was before.When God gave the Law through Moses, it was only an outline of God’s will. Now, in Christ, the innocent Man crucified, the Law has flesh and bones and is everlasting. Jesus is the very opposite of the man of lawlessness. Jesus is the Law in the Flesh, obedient to His Father in perfect joy.For the sake of those who are in danger of despair, whose sins weigh heavy on them, who are disappointed in the messiness and pain of their lives, caused by their sins and the sins of others, Jesus has offered us a refuge of pardon. Jesus is quick and glad to forgive. Jesus receives and eats with sinners. The Law has been fulfilled in Jesus for you. Your sins are not too big or too shocking or too old. His grace is for you.And because of those who are in danger of taking His mercy for granted, for the sake of those who might be deluded by delays and think their sins are insignificant or even honorable, Jesus has made the day of death uncertain. No one knows when his last hour will come. You do not know and you should fear God’s wrath and the possibility that the last day would come in the midst of your sin. You should repent and not become arrogant in hope as though it were a right. Even as we should not give in to despair but should trust in Christ’s fulfillment and promises, so also we should believe that Jesus has not come to abolish the Law.Jesus said to the woman caught in adultery: “There is no one to accuse you, nor do I condemn you.” She was thereby secure in the past. Her sins were not counted against her. She was not condemned. Neither are you. Jesus loves you. Your past is forgiven. But then Jesus said to her: “Go and sin no more.” His law is not a recommendation or suggestion. Sin not only angers God. It also places the soul in peril. To you He says: “Unless your righteousness exceeds that of the scribes and Pharisees, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven.”The gentle kindness of the Lord is not weakness or uncertainty. Sin is never trivial. Repent. Set your heart and mind once more to be free of sin, to amend your life, to bear fruits of repentance. And rest in the pardon bestowed constantly through the Word of God, prayer, and the Holy Sacraments. The crucified and risen Lord is every bit as serious in His promises and grace as He is in His holy Law.Again: imagine the boy chopping wood with his father and basking in his father’s attention, who knows that his father loves him. That does not pass away. Your Father loves you. In Jesus’ Name.

COME | Home Album Series | July 26, 2019Matthew 6:6 Message Translation “Here’s what I want you to do: Find a quiet, secluded place so you won’t be tempted to role-play before God. Just be there as simply and honestly as you can manage. The focus will shift from you to God, and you will begin to sense his grace.Psalm 73:28 “But as for me, the nearness of God is my good; I have made the Lord GOD my refuge, That I may tell of all Your works.”Psalm 16:8 “I have set the LORD continually before me; Because He is at my right hand, I will not be shaken.”Psalm 119:151 “You are near, O LORD, And all Your commandments are truth.”Jeremiah 23:23 “‘Am I a God who is near,’ declares the LORD, ‘And not a God far off?’”Acts 17:27 “...that they would seek God, if perhaps they might grope for Him and find Him, though He is not far from each one of us;”Hebrews 10:22 “let us draw near with a sincere heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled clean from an evil conscience and our bodies washed with pure water.”James 4:8 “Draw near to God and He will draw near to you.”John 1:14 "And the Word became flesh, and dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory, glory as of the only begotten from the Father, full of grace and truth."WHEN JESUS COMES HOME WITH YOU: Jesus And Zacchaeus - Luke 19:1-10 NLT1Jesus entered Jericho and made his way through the town. 2There was a man there named Zacchaeus. He was the chief tax collector in the region, and he had become very rich. 3He tried to get a look at Jesus, but he was too short to see over the crowd. 4So he ran ahead and climbed a sycamore-fig tree beside the road, for Jesus was going to pass that way. 5When Jesus came by, he looked up at Zacchaeus and called him by name. “Zacchaeus!” he said. “Quick, come down! I must be a guest in your home today.” 6Zacchaeus quickly climbed down and took Jesus to his house in great excitement and joy. 7But the people were displeased. “He has gone to be the guest of a notorious sinner,” they grumbled. 8Meanwhile, Zacchaeus stood before the Lord and said, “I will give half my wealth to the poor, Lord, and if I have cheated people on their taxes, I will give them back four times as much!” 9Jesus responded, “Salvation has come to this home today, for this man has shown himself to be a true son of Abraham. 10For the Son of Man came to seek and save those who are lost.”1. Nothing Matters Except Jesus's Opinion Of You. You Stop Caring What Other People Think. You're Free!2. You Can Invite A Sinner To Dinner.If Jesus Wants To Come Home With ME... Then He'll Go Home With Anybody.Every Sinner is Welcome In My Home And At My Table.3. You're No Longer Satisfied With What You Can Get From People. You Want To Give More Than You Get... And You Don't Keep Score.4. You Admit That You Really Do Need To Be In God's Family.5. Coming Down From Your Tree, Lifts You To Up Where You Want To Be.

Like a Good Neighbor”07/28/2019Matthew 22:34-40Core Competency: Compassion I believe God calls all Christians to show compassion to those in need.Psalm 82:3-4 3 Give justice to the poor and the orphan; uphold the rights of the oppressed and the destitute. 4 Rescue the poor and helpless; deliver them from the grasp of evil people.Text: Matthew 22:34-4034 But when the Pharisees heard that he had silenced the Sadducees, they gathered together. 35 And one of them, a lawyer, asked him a question to test him.36 “Teacher, which is the great commandment in the Law?” 37 And he said to him, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. 38 This is the great and first commandment. 39 And a second is like it: You shall love your neighbor as yourself. 40 On these two commandments depend all the Law and the Prophets.”The Message Of This Passage From the Ligonier Ministries: After the Sadducees fail to confound Jesus, the Pharisees gather together to try and trap Him again, sending one of their own to test Jesus on their behalf. A lawyer, this man’s training in the Mosaic law goes beyond even that of most Pharisees, legal experts in their own right. The question he asks our Savior is likely an attempt to get Jesus to deny one or more laws in the Torah and find proof of heresy.Rabbis hotly debated the lawyer’s question during the lifetime of Jesus. One count lists 613 individual stipulations in the Torah, and Jewish teachers wanted a unifying principle to aid the Law’s application. Christ’s answer to His examiner (vv. 36–39) is not wholly original; others combined the concepts of loving God and neighbor as the greatest duty in the Law. Yet Jesus is the first to combine the two specific texts in today’s passage to prove the point. He quotes from Deuteronomy 6:5, which is part of the Shema that pious Jews still recite daily (Deut. 6:4–9). The injunction to love one’s neighbor is found in Leviticus 19:18.Despite attempts to interpret passages like Matthew 5:17 otherwise, today’s passage indicates that Jesus does not abrogate the Law when He fulfills it. He would not single out passages from the Law as God’s greatest commandments if He wanted to eliminate all principles found in the Mosaic code. Also, Jesus’ answer reveals that love is primarily an action, not a feeling. The commandment to love is an order to do something; thus, we are to love others, serving them even if we do not feel like it. Furthermore, if love for God and neighbor are the commandments upon which the Law and Prophets hang, we cannot somehow separate love from these stipulations and define love in a way that ignores God’s law. Any act the Bible forbids is not love; rather, the Law shows us how to express true love. Paul can say, “Love does no wrong to a neighbor; therefore love is the fulfilling of the law” (Rom. 13:10) and also expect Christians to live out the basic ethical code of the Old Testament (v. 9). Above all, John Calvin comments, Jesus says that “love is the first and great thing that God demands from us, and therefore the first and great thing that we should devote to him.”Questions for Reflection:Whether it’s a friend, a family member, or even yourself, who do you know that believes there is a God, but still has yet to have a personal relationship with Jesus?Knowing that God loves each of us unconditionally, and that His love saved us, how can this fact help motivate you to love others?Do you put conditions on love? Why, or why not?How can we get over the self-imposed rules we generate by putting conditions on love?Think of an experience in which you saw “loving your neighbor as yourself” work out – either in your life – or another’s life.Who do you know who needs a little selfless love?In what sense is this commandment bad news?In what sense is this commandment good news?The absolute love Jesus describes is beyond our abilities. So what do we need to do to love like this? See Galatians 5:14-16,22-23.We grow in love by cooperating with God’s Spirit who lives within us; and we cooperate by practicing the spiritual disciplines, habits such as reading the Word, giving, and serving. What Spiritual Discipline will you work on this week so that God’s Spirit can grow your love?Notes:

Visit happyvalleyevangelical.org/sermons for more.July 21, 2019Matthew 7:12-29Parts of the “Divine Appointments” seriesRev. Jim Steele

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Visit happyvalleyevangelical.org/sermons for more.April 14, 2019Matthew 27:15-16, Luke 19:36Rev. Jim Steele

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“The Rich Young Ruler”Bob CraneMarch 24th, 2019Matthew 19:16-3016 And behold, a man came up to him, saying, “Teacher, what good deed must I do to have eternal life?” 17 And he said to him, “Why do you ask me about what is good? There is only one who is good. If you would enter life, keep the commandments.” 18 He said to him, “Which ones?” And Jesus said, “You shall not murder, You shall not commit adultery, You shall not steal, You shall not bear false witness, 19 Honor your father and mother, and, You shall love your neighbor as yourself.” 20 The young man said to him, “All these I have kept. What do I still lack?” 21 Jesus said to him, “If you would be perfect, go, sell what you possess and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, follow me.”22 When the young man heard this he went away sorrowful, for he had great possessions. 23 And Jesus said to his disciples, “Truly, I say to you, only with difficulty will a rich person enter the kingdom of heaven. 24 Again I tell you, it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich person to enter the kingdom of God.” 25 When the disciples heard this, they were greatly astonished, saying, “Who then can be saved?” 26 But Jesus looked at them and said, “With man this is impossible, but with God all things are possible.” 27 Then Peter said in reply, “See, we have left everything and followed you. What then will we have?” 28 Jesus said to them, “Truly, I say to you, in the new world, when the Son of Man will sit on his glorious throne, you who have followed me will also sit on twelve thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel. 29 And everyone who has left houses or brothers or sisters or father or mother or children or lands, for my name's sake, will receive a hundredfold and will inherit eternal life. 30 But many who are first will be last, and the last first.

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March 10, 2019Matthew 18:21-35Ross Dieleman

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February 24, 2019Matthew 14:13-33Lindsay Small

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February 3, 2019Matthew 6:1-4Pastor Caleb Speicher

January 27, 2019Matthew 5:1-12Lindsay Small

January 20, 2019Matthew 4:1-11Ross Dieleman

January 6, 2019Matthew 2:1-23Lindsay Small