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It's Tuesday, February 24th, A.D. 2026. This is The Worldview in 5 Minutes heard on 140 radio stations and at www.TheWorldview.com.  I'm Adam McManus. (Adam@TheWorldview.com) By Kevin Swanson and Timothy Reed Early Rain Covenant Church Hit Again China Aid reports of more communist persecution of the Early Rain Covenant Church in Chengdu, China.   Pastor Wang Yi is entering his seventh year in prison -- of a nine-year sentence.   But now, elder Li Yingqiang and his wife have been arrested for their commitment to Christ. His wife was released on bail, and encouraged friends on social media that “God's arrangements are always good.” Multiple churches in North America, and an organization in Australia, have designated the ninth of each month as a “Day of Fasting and Prayer for the Persecuted Church in China.”  Mexican National Guardsmen killed the most wanted cartel leader in the country Mexico is in turmoil this week, after Mexican National Guardsmen killed the most wanted cartel leader in the country, Nemesio Cervantes, a criminal known as “El Mencho.” So far, 34 drug cartel members are dead. Sadly, another 25 federal troops were killed in the ongoing conflict. European immigration numbers down Immigration numbers have dropped sharply in Europe. Britain records only 200,000 immigrants in 2025, down from 900,000 in 2023.  Eurostat's Migration and Asylum report indicates a 13% drop in asylum applicants to European Union countries in 2024. That's the first drop since 2020.  And October 2025 numbers indicate a 28% drop compared with October 2024. European Parliament refused to affirm only women can get pregnant The Parliament of the European Union voted 340-141 to artificially redefine the definition of what a woman is. The Parliament also refused to affirm the biological fact “that only women can become pregnant.” German Parliament member Tomasz Froelich blasted the new guidance. He said, “This isn't about courtesy or pronouns. It's about law, language, and the destruction of biological clarity in public policy.” The new law opens the continent up to “the full recognition of trans women as women,” directly opposing God's created gender roles. In Matthew 19:4, Jesus asked, “Have you not read, that He which made them at the beginning made them male and female?” Reform UK lacked traction; Will Restore Britain thrive? As The Worldview reported on February 19th, Britain has a new populist political party called the Restore Britain party. The previous nationalist party, Reform UK, gained 14% of the vote in the 2024 election, but only holds eight seats which is a little over 1% of the seats in parliament. Back in 2002, the UK populist parties had only 2% of the national vote. More debt and more inflation for the U.S. In President Donald Trump's first year in office in his second term, the US Debt to Gross Domestic Product ratio spiked to 122%. That's the highest since Joe Biden's first year in office during the COVID spend-a-thon.   Today's U.S. federal debt stands at $38.7 trillion — exactly double what it was 10 years ago during the first Trump term, and quadruple the size of the debt 18 years ago during the 2008 recession.   Also in economic news, despite all the political noise and hand waving coming out of Washington, inflation is up in the U.S. The core Personal Consumption Expenditures inflation index is up to 3% — back up to where it was two years ago.   The GDP inflator reached 3.7%, the worst it's been in three years. And yet, the average 30-year mortgage rate has dropped to 6%, That's the lowest it's been in two and a half years. Deuteronomy 15:6 ties in here. It says, “For the LORD your God will bless you just as He promised you; you shall lend to many nations, but you shall not borrow; you shall reign over many nations, but they shall not reign over you.” Kansas legislature overturns veto on transgender Law KANSAS LEADER: “The motion prevails and the bill passes.” (Gavel comes down) And with that announcement, the Kansas Legislature, dominated by Republicans, voted to overturn Democratic Governor Laura Kelly's veto on a bill that banned men, including men pretending to be women, from entering women's spaces. The Kansas House voted 87-37 and the Kansas Senate voted 31-9 to overturn the veto.  Republican Kansas State Senator Virgil Peck, Jr. spoke from the Senate floor. PECK: “I'm amazed that we're not hearing from more of those who are, if you will, feminists standing up for young ladies.” The bill allows for criminal charges to be brought against biological men who intrude on women's bathrooms and locker rooms, and holds to the birth gender or biological definition of male and female. 118,000 applications submitted for tax-funded school vouchers Texas parents have submitted 118,000 applications since Texas Freedom Education Accounts opened up on February 4th. The Houston public school district is looking at closing down 12 of its schools for the next school year, reports The Chronicle. The Texas Homeschool Coalition estimates there are 500,000 homeschooled students in the state. Add to that 422,000 children enrolled in Texas charter schools, and another 279,000 children enrolled in Texas private schools. That adds up to 1,200,000 Texas students not attending public school, representing 21% of school-aged children in Texas. Study reveals cancer linked to COVID-19 shot A new scientific study has linked the rise in certain types of cancer to the mRNA COVID-19 shots.  The study, published by Oncotarget, marks the spike in cancers, including highly aggressive cancers, in correspondence with certain lipid nanoparticles that were in the COVID vaccines.  The study evidenced that the modRNA in the COVID shot, along with the lipid nanoparticles, could “affect various tissues and organs, including the bone marrow and other blood-forming organs.”  The study also found a link between rising mortalities worldwide and the rollout of the COVID shot. In one Italian province, for example, “vaccination was associated with a 23% increased risk of cancer hospitalization after receiving one or more doses.”  U.S. Men's Hockey team wins gold in overtime And finally … (Audio of Olympic theme song) Norway has captured the highest number of gold medals in the 2026 Winter Olympics this year — taking home 18 medals (so far). The United States comes in second with 12 golds. That's a record for America — this time including a top medal for the Men's and Women's Hockey competition.   The U.S. Men's Hockey Team won the gold medal for the first time in 46 years in a 2-1 overtime win on the final golden goal knocked in by Jack Hughes, who played center. Listen. ANNOUNCER: “Jack Hughes wins it. The golden goal for the United States. For the first time since the 1980 Miracle, the United States takes the gold.” Jack will be remembered for having taken a high stick and losing multiple teeth before scoring the winning goal. Close And that's The Worldview on this Tuesday, February 24th, in the year of our Lord 2026. Follow us on X or subscribe for free by Spotify, Amazon Music, or by iTunes or email to our unique Christian newscast at www.TheWorldview.com.  Plus, you can get the Generations app through Google Play or The App Store. I'm Adam McManus (Adam@TheWorldview.com). Seize the day for Jesus Christ. Extra print stories Elderly farmer refuses to sell farm to data company 86-year-old farmer Mervin Raudabaugh refused to sell his Pennsylvania farm to data company developers, even though his farm was valued at over $15 million. Raudabaugh has lived in Silver Springs Township in Cumberland County and been a farmer for more than 60 years. He exclaimed, “I was not interested in destroying my farms. That was the bottom line. It really wasn't so much the economic end of it. I just didn't want to see these two farms destroyed.”  Raudabaugh instead sold his property for a much lower price to the Silver Springs Township's Land Preservation Program, which protects farmland, woodland, and wetlands. He explained, “I love this land. It's been my life. And I realized… if it wasn't built on or dug up, another set of families could live here—and that's what I wanted to do. And I got it done.” Micah 4:4 promises, “But they shall sit every man under his vine and under his fig tree; and none shall make them afraid: for the mouth of the LORD of hosts hath spoken it.” 10 major British cities have Muslim mayors 46 million Muslims now live in Europe, as migrants from third world countries continue overwhelming the European system.  Muslims are taking over political offices in European nations, including in the United Kingdom, where 10 major cities now have Muslim mayors. The massive influx in illegal immigration to Europe, while condemned and hated by its people, is being celebrated by its leaders. Newsmax reports, “They've chosen to stand with radical Muslims over their own people. It's because of all of these reasons these countries are falling apart and failing as the attack on Western civilization continues.” Muslim infiltration has also reached the United States, evidenced by Muslim influence in states like Texas and Minnesota. Chase Bank admits to debanking Trump JPMorgan Bank has admitted to freezing President Donald Trump's bank account following the January 6, 2021 protests. Trump had sued the bank for $5 billion in damages. The admission came after JPMorgan initially dodged the question of whether it debanked the President, and is yet another confirmation that conservatives were in fact targeted and persecuted under the Biden administration.  CNBC reported, “This is not the first lawsuit Trump has filed against a big bank, alleging that he was debanked. The Trump Organization sued credit card giant Capital One in March 2025 for similar reasons and allegations.” However, some have pointed out that the Trump administration is working towards digital currencies, which run a large risk of being controlled.

We are in Week 2 of our Bible engagement series through the Gospel of Matthew. In Matthew 4:1–11, Pastor Chris Padiath walks us through Jesus' temptation in the wilderness and reveals how spiritual warfare truly works. This message exposes the enemy's tactics—temptation, testing, and trading—and shows us how Jesus overcame not by force, but by being Spirit-filled, Scripture-grounded, and unwavering in worship. This sermon equips believers to stand firm, fight in God's strength, and walk in victory.

Most people assume they're on the right road. Jesus says otherwise. In Matthew 7:13-14, at the close of the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus draws a line — two roads, two destinations, two kinds of people. The wide road is easy, crowded, and leads to destruction. The narrow road is hard, crushing, and leads to life. Alex breaks down what it really means to be on the narrow road, why none of us found it on our own, and what the Zoe life actually looks like. Lokelani closes with her own honest reflection on total depravity, grace, and what it costs to follow Jesus. A convicting and freeing conversation for anyone serious about their faith.https://www.instagram.com/amenpodcast/

Good people aren't exempt from violence. We aren't insulated. But neither are we intimidated. In Matthew 10:28, Jesus says, “Do...

In this episode, Tony Arsenal and Jesse Schwamb explore one of Scripture's most fascinating puzzles: the parable of the lost sheep appears in both Luke 15 and Matthew 18, yet teaches dramatically different lessons depending on its context. In Luke, it defends Christ's mission to seek the lost and exposes Pharisaic self-righteousness. In Matthew, it becomes a pastoral manual for church discipline, humility, and restoration. This conversation challenges the common assumption that parables have only one meaning and demonstrates how the same story can illuminate multiple theological truths. The hosts unpack the scandalous grace woven throughout both accounts while wrestling with practical implications for church life, confrontation, and the celebration of repentance within the covenant community. Key Takeaways Context transforms meaning: The parable of the lost sheep appears in both Luke 15 and Matthew 18 with similar wording but vastly different applications—proving that parables can have multiple valid meanings depending on their literary and theological context. Matthew 18's audience is internal: Unlike Luke 15, which addresses outsiders and critics, Matthew 18 speaks to disciples about life within the kingdom community—focusing on humility, care for "little ones," and the church's responsibility toward vulnerable or straying members. The parable sets up church discipline: In Matthew 18, the lost sheep parable (vv. 12-14) directly precedes and theologically grounds the church discipline passage (vv. 15-20), teaching that confrontation should be motivated by pastoral rescue, not punitive justice. "Little ones" matter to the Father: The phrase "little ones" refers to children, new believers, and those vulnerable within the church—Christ warns sternly against despising them and insists it is not the Father's will that any should perish (v. 14). Restoration is the goal, not excommunication: Verse 15's language of "gaining your brother" frames confrontation as recovery. Even final excommunication (v. 17) should be carried out with ongoing hope for repentance and return, not with triumphalism or relief. Christ's presence empowers difficult work: The promise that "where two or three are gathered in my name, there am I among them" (v. 20) is not a general prayer meeting verse—it's a specific assurance of Christ's authorizing presence during the judicial and painful work of church discipline. Divine intention shapes church posture: The statement "it is not the will of my Father...that one of these little ones should perish" (v. 14) must color every step of the discipline process, ensuring the church never loses sight of God's restorative heart. Explanatory Paragraphs Context Transforms Meaning One of the most significant insights from this episode is the recognition that the parable of the lost sheep serves distinct theological purposes in Luke 15 and Matthew 18. In Luke, Jesus tells the parable to Pharisees and scribes who criticize Him for welcoming sinners—the lost sheep represents those outside the covenant community whom Christ seeks. In Matthew, however, Jesus addresses His disciples within the context of kingdom life, and the lost sheep represents a believer who has wandered from the fold. This contextual shift demonstrates that parables are not rigid allegories with single meanings but flexible teaching tools that illuminate different facets of divine truth. The hosts argue that this reality should free interpreters from overly narrow readings and encourage careful attention to literary setting, audience, and surrounding discourse when seeking to understand Jesus' teaching. The Parable Sets Up Church Discipline In Matthew 18, the parable of the lost sheep (vv. 12-14) is not an isolated story but a theological foundation for the church discipline instructions that immediately follow (vv. 15-20). By emphasizing the shepherd's joy in recovering the one lost sheep and stating that it is not God's will for any "little one" to perish, Jesus prepares His disciples to approach confrontation with a restorative rather than punitive mindset. The language of "gaining your brother" (v. 15) echoes the recovery theme of the parable—confrontation is rescue, not victory. This connection is often missed because English Bible headings create visual breaks between verses 14 and 15, obscuring their flow. When read together without interruption, the passage reveals that every step of church discipline—from private conversation to final excommunication—must be undertaken with the Father's heart, which longs for the wanderer's return rather than their expulsion. Christ's Presence Empowers Difficult Work The promise in Matthew 18:20—"where two or three are gathered in my name, there am I among them"—is frequently misapplied as a general encouragement for small prayer groups or house churches. While Christ's omnipresence certainly validates such gatherings, the primary context of this verse is judicial and ecclesiastical. The "two or three" echoes the Old Testament requirement for multiple witnesses in matters requiring serious judgment (Deuteronomy 19:15), and the phrase appears at the climax of Jesus' teaching on church discipline. Christ is promising His authorizing presence specifically during the church's most difficult and painful work: confronting sin, evaluating repentance, and when necessary, declaring someone outside the visible church. This is both sobering and comforting—sobering because it reminds us that church discipline carries divine weight, and comforting because Christ does not leave His church alone in this weighty task but stands in the midst of the assembly, confirming its righteous judgments and sustaining its members through heartbreak. Memorable Quotes "This almost proves the idea that parables have one meaning just isn't really real...a single parable with the same words can have multiple, at the very least, can have multiple gradations of meaning." — Tony Arsenal "The scandal here is that it's not God's will that any one of these little ones should be lost. And that sometimes, I think, in the midst of great conflict feels scandalous." — Jesse Schwamb "Gaining your brother frames confrontation as rescue...discipline begins maybe actually all the way through as pastoral care. It's not public shaming." — Jesse Schwamb Full Transcript [The complete, unedited transcript of the episode would be included here for reference and accessibility.]

Most people assume they're on the right road. Jesus says otherwise. In Matthew 7:13-14, at the close of the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus draws a line — two roads, two destinations, two kinds of people. The wide road is easy, crowded, and leads to destruction. The narrow road is hard, crushing, and leads to life. Alex breaks down what it really means to be on the narrow road, why none of us found it on our own, and what the Zoe life actually looks like. Lokelani closes with her own honest reflection on total depravity, grace, and what it costs to follow Jesus. A convicting and freeing conversation for anyone serious about their faith.https://www.instagram.com/amenpodcast/

In Matthew 10:7–8, Jesus commissions His followers to proclaim the kingdom and live out its reality: “Freely you have received; freely give.” This passage reveals that the gospel not only restores our relationship with God but transforms how we see and love others.In this message from our Freely Given series, we explore:• How fear hardens the human heart• Why perfect love casts out fear• What Jesus teaches through radical welcome and table fellowship• How the cross becomes the pathway to real peaceIn a world shaped by division and suspicion, Jesus invites us into a better way. When we receive His grace, we are freed to live with open hands and open hearts—bringing kingdom life into everyday spaces.

The grace of Jesus is not reserved for the worthy. It is extended to the undeserving. In Matthew's story, we see that when grace shows up, it meets us where we are, calls us into something new, and reshapes how we see others. Jesus does more than forgive. He repositions, restores, and invites the unlikely to sit at His table. Grace changes your seat, your story, and your view of who belongs.

In Matthew 19, a rich young ruler runs to Jesus with a question that sounds spiritual: “What good thing must I do to gain eternal life?” But Jesus slows the moment down and reframes the whole conversation. This isn't mainly a story about money. It's a story about goodness, obedience, perfection, and life—and what happens when our loves get out of order. Jesus exposes how easy it is to treat faith like a transaction, to mistake outward obedience for a whole heart, and to chase “good” things while missing the One who is truly good. In a world full of competing goods, we're invited to ask the deeper questions: What has my heart? What competes with God for my devotion? And what habits are curating my love toward Jesus?

Christians are a going people.Ever human-being longs to live with a sense of purpose or mission. But it can be easy to get caught up in strategies, methods, and outcomes while losing sight of the mission. In Matthew 10, Jesus sends out his disciples with sobering warnings as he calls them to mission. In this sermon, we explore how the essence of mission is not success or safety, but putting Jesus first—above safety, comfort, and even family.

Join us as we continue our sermon series, "WHO IS JESUS?" In Matthew 16, Jesus asks His disciples the most important question anyone will ever answer: “Who do you say I am?”Our answer to this question determines everything. How we live, how we worship, who we trust, and ultimately where we will spend eternity.Online resources: https://www.renovatethecity.com/

Traditional Worship | Bishop Bob Hayes | Lent is the sacred season of the church that has its roots in the 40 days Jesus spent fasting and being tempted in the wilderness. As it was then, so it is today: Lent is a time of testing and of longing — a time that is intended to produce within all of us a “holy hunger” that fills the emptiness of our spirits and refreshes our souls with the presence of God. This season invites us to cultivate a deep desire for God's presence and truth, seeking renewal as we journey toward the cross and ultimately Easter morning. In Matthew's Gospel, Jesus said: “Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled.” We are delighted that you are on this Lenten journey with us as we seek fulfillment from the only One who can satisfy our hunger.

Sunday, 22 February 2026   When they had lifted up their eyes, they saw no one but Jesus only. Matthew 17:8   “And having uplifted their eyes, they saw none, if not Jesus alone” (CG).   In the previous verse, Jesus came to the disciples who had been overwhelmed by the voice and events on the mountain, touching them and telling them to arise and not be afraid. It next says, “And having uplifted their eyes.”   A new word, epairó, to uplift, is seen. It is from epi, upon, and airó, to take up or away. It can be used literally, as in this verse, or it can be used figuratively, such as exalting oneself, etc. The disciples had fallen on their faces from fear. Once Jesus' comforting touch and voice came, they uplifted their eyes and “they saw none, if not Jesus alone.”   Moses and Elijah were gone, and in whatever way the voice from the cloud was transmitted, there was nobody except Jesus to behold. The sudden removal of Moses and Elijah as soon as the voice had been uttered is instructional. Jesus and the message concerning Him are what are to be focused on. The Law and the Prophets had served their purpose and are now no longer what God is doing in the process of redemption.   Life application: If this short section concerning the events on the mountain is evaluated, the message it conveys is crystal clear. In Matthew 16:28, Jesus told the disciples that of those standing with Him, some would not see death until they saw the Son of Man coming in His kingdom.   Just a short time later, He took Peter, James, and John up on a high mountain where He metamorphosed before them. His countenance changed to brilliancy with radiating light. What does Paul say about the message of Christ? He explains it in 2 Corinthians 4 –   “For it is the God who commanded light to shine out of darkness, who has shone in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ.” 2 Corinthians 4:6   With His radiant countenance manifested, Moses and Elijah appeared and conversed with Him. As noted, Luke includes the note that their conversation was about Jesus' coming death, which He was about to accomplish in Jerusalem.   At that time, Peter offered to build three tents to accommodate Jesus, Moses, and Elijah. Tents are for dwelling in. But what was the divine response from the Father? It concerned hearing Jesus. The temporary tabernacling of Moses and Elijah was done. The new and eternal tabernacling with God is through Jesus –   “And I heard – voice great from the throne, saying, ‘You behold, the tabernacle [skéné], the God, with the men, and He will tabernacle [skénoó] with them, and they – peoples of Him, they will be, and He – the God with them, He will be, their God'” Revelation 21:3 (CG). After the voice, the men fell down terrified, but when Jesus came to reassure them, they looked up, and there was only Jesus. Jesus promised that there would be those who would see Him coming in His kingdom.   The kingdom is that of understanding who He is, meaning the God/Man in whom God tabernacles, and that the law only anticipated His coming. It is no longer what God is doing. The kingdom Jesus was referring to has arrived in the preaching of the gospel. It will be realized in those who receive it someday. Jesus' words were not referring to an earthly kingdom during the millennium. That will occur, but it is not what is being referred to here.   “He has delivered us from the power of darkness and conveyed us into the kingdom of the Son of His love, 14 in whom we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins.” Colossians 1:13, 14   If your eyes are on law observance, you are missing the kingdom. Eyes on Jesus! The law is over. God wants us to focus our attention on what He has done through Jesus.   Lord God, thank You for the wonderful news of Jesus Christ. Through faith in Him, we are transferred to His kingdom and now have full and forever restoration with You. Thank You for this wonderful news. Yes, O God, thank You for Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.  

A Sermon for the First Sunday in Lent Ephesians 2:1-10 by The Rev'd Dr. Matthew Colvin             Week after week, I see Pastor Bill preaching the Bible to you on Sundays, and I want to commend him to you. I'm not sure you are aware how rare it is to have a pastor who does his own translation work in the Hebrew and Greek, and who attempts, with diligence and great effort, to read the text of the Bible anew, divide it up properly, and serve it to you. What matters to Pastor Bill in his preaching to you is what the Bible actually says — the actual point of the gospels' stories, or the actual meaning of the prophecies of the prophets, or the actual meaning of Paul's arguments in his letters — not what famous theologians have used the Bible to say, or what scholastic medieval philosophy says it can and cannot mean, or the way modern self-help gurus can use Bible verses out of context to tell a very different story. If you attend to the words delivered from this pulpit, you are being trained to understand the Bible on its own terms, rather than watching as a slick speaker uses the Bible to express his own ideas. The story needs to be your story; you are to think of yourself as a child of Abraham, as a sharer in Israel's Messiah, as someone in covenant with Israel's God. Since it is the first Sunday in Lent, we are confronted with the very first episode of Jesus' public ministry after his baptism by John the Baptist. This story has much to teach us about Jesus' work as the Messiah, the nature of his sufferings, and ultimately, the way we ought to think about God Himself. I want to start by thinking about what it means when the Messiah goes into the desert. In Acts 21, when Paul is arrested in Jerusalem, the Roman centurion is surprised that he knows Greek: “Are you not the Egyptian, then, who recently stirred up a revolt and led the four thousand men of the Assassins out into the wilderness?" -Acts 21:38 (I joke to my Greek students that knowing Greek is handy if you are ever suspected of being a terrorist.) In Acts 5, Gamaliel mentioned Judas of Galilee and Theudas, false messiahs who also started their rebellions against Rome by going out into the wilderness. Why do so many messiahs begin this way? Because they are attempting recapitulate of Israel's story. And the true Messiah also relives the story of Israel, embodying it in the events that happen to him: he has already gone down to Egypt to escape a tyrannical attempt to kill all the baby boys in Bethlehem, much as Pharaoh tried to kill all the male Hebrew babies; he has already been baptized in the Jordan, as Paul says Israel was “baptized in the cloud and in the sea” of the Exodus; and now he goes into the Wilderness to be tempted for 40 days, as Israel was tempted for 40 years. Covenant history rhymes, as the saying goes. So that is why Jesus is in the desert. There remains explain why he is being tested, and how he resists that temptation, and what these things tell us about the Messiah and about God. We must recognize that Jesus resisted Satan's temptation as true man, as a matter of his messianic office. Jesus' self-understanding as the Messiah was in terms of the latter chapters of Isaiah, i.e. the suffering servant. This understanding of his calling is why he girded himself with a towel and washed his disciples' feet at the Last Supper; it is why he set his face like flint to go to Jerusalem; it is why he undertakes to drink the cup of suffering, and sheds sweat like drops of blood falling to the ground during his agonized prayer in Gethsemane. Being this kind of Messiah involved contradicting the expectations that other men had about what the Messiah would be like. When Jesus is on trial, the Roman procurator Pontius Pilate, for instance, asks him — in a question whose statement-like word order indicates incredulity — “You are the king of the Jews?” (that is the word order, sarcastic or incredulous), and then puts over his head a sign reading “Jesus of Nazareth, king of the Jews,” in three languages, so that everyone could get the joke. Pilate mocks Jewish pretensions to even have a king. That is why he refused to change the sign to say only “He claimed to be the king of the Jews.”  It is also why he also brings out Barabbas and asks the Jews, “Whom do you want me to give to you? Barabbas, or the king of the Jews?” Pilate is operating with the standard pagan understanding of kingship: "You know that the rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and their great ones exercise authority over them. It shall not be so among you. But whoever would be great among you must be your servant, and whoever would be first among you must be your slave, even as the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many." (Matthew 20:25-28) Pontius Pilate and the Romans were expecting someone taller, perhaps. Of course, Jesus could have met those expectations, as he told the soldiers who arrested him in Gethsemane: “Do you think that I cannot appeal to my Father, and he will at once send me more than twelve legions of angels?” (Matthew 26:53) It isn't that he couldn't just blow the Romans away with fire from heaven. But that is not his agenda. That is not what the Messiah has come to do. He has come “not to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.” Jesus also has to correct the expectation of the Jews about what the Messiah is to be like — even the expectation of his own disciples! It is this self-understanding that makes Jesus tell his disciples in Mt 16:22-23 that “he must go to Jerusalem and suffer many things from the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be killed, and on the third day be raised. And Peter took him aside and began to rebuke him, saying, "Far be it from you, Lord! This shall never happen to you.” But he turned and said to Peter, "Get behind me, Satan! You are a hindrance to me. For you are not setting your mind on the things of God, but on the things of man." Peter's suggestion that Jesus could be the Mesiah without suffering and dying is so inimical to Jesus' self-understanding and his mission that he calls Peter “Satan.” And rightly so, because what Peter is suggesting is pretty much of the same spirit as what Satan himself suggests in our gospel lesson this morning. So that is the background: Jesus as the true Israelite, the Messiah, is in the desert, not to lead a rebellion or a gang of terrorists, but to be tested as Israel was tested. Against all this background, we are ready to hear the words, both of Satan tempting, and of Jesus answering, and hear them with richer and fuller meaning — meaning not from Greek philosophy or self-help gurus or even systematic theologians, but rather, from the story of Israel. With his first temptation, Satan seeks to exploit Jesus' hunger: “The tempter came and said to him, "If you are the Son of God, command these stones to become loaves of bread." But he answered, "It is written,  "'Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of God.'" (Matthew 4:3-4) Any of you who have ever been hangry know exactly why Satan is doing this. Jesus, no less than we, lived his earthly incarnate life in a body, and that body was subject to weakness. Jesus is not like Superman, so that bullets or nails would bounce off his skin. He was capable of suffering, and he did suffer. Satan is suggesting that Jesus should exploit his Messianic status — for that is what is meant by “If you are the Son of God” — and use it to avoid this suffering. Take your authority over all creation and use it to transform stones into bread. This is not a ridiculous suggestion. It is similar to Jesus' first miracle in John's gospel, where he turned water into wine for the wedding at Cana. But the aim of the action here would be quite different. Satan's meaning is basically the same as Peter's suggestion: “Suffer from hunger? Why put up with that? This shall never happen to you!” Jesus' answer is a quotation from Deuteronomy 8:3. (In fact, all three of Jesus' answers to Satan are from Deuteronomy. (Dt. 8:3, 6:16, and 6:13). That is, they are taken from Moses' instructions to Israel about how to live with the Lord. Jesus is the one who follows Deuteronomy's description of the faithful Israelite perfectly.) As so often, however, Jesus' quotations of the Old Testament are metaleptic —a fancy Greek word that means “takes along with it.” The idea here is that if I say, “We stand on guard for thee,” it would be a mistake for someone to try to understand that utterance merely by using a dictionary to look up “stand” and “guard” and so forth. The meaning of that phrase is rather to be found in the larger context of the Canadian national anthem as a whole, because that is how everyone who hears it will immediately start thinking in their minds: all the other verses will come flooding into your minds; you will perhaps recall occasions when you sang it: in school, or at sporting events; or watching a Olympic medal ceremony. Just so, when Jesus quotes the Old Testament, every Israelite hearer will not just think of the words he quotes; he will think also of the surrounding context, the story in which those words first occurred. So when we look at Deuteronomy 8:3, we should also think about the immediately preceding verse: "The whole commandment that I command you today you shall be careful to do, that you may live and multiply, and go in and possess the land that the LORD swore to give to your fathers. And you shall remember the whole way that the LORD your God has led you these forty years in the wilderness, that he might humble you, testing you to know what was in your heart, whether you would keep his commandments or not.” (Deuteronomy 8:1-2) And then it goes on to say, in the very next verse, “And he humbled you and let you hunger and fed you with manna, which you did not know, nor did your fathers know, that he might make you know that man does not live by bread alone, but man lives by every word that comes from the mouth of the LORD.” (Deuteronomy 8:3) This is what Jesus has in mind: he has been in the wilderness for forty days, being humbled, being tested. He answers Satan from the very passage of Deuteronomy that has to do with his situation: it is about testing in the wilderness. He has been thinking about this verse for a while now. The tempter's second try is with a more showy possibility: Then the devil took him to the holy city and set him on the pinnacle of the temple and said to him, "If you are the Son of God, throw yourself down, for it is written,  "'He will command his angels concerning you,'  and  "'On their hands they will bear you up, lest you strike your foot against a stone.'" -Matthew 4:6 This would be an impressive display! Who could fail to follow a Messiah who had made such a proof of divine power? Jesus had answered the first temptation by quoting Scripture. But the devil can quote Scripture for his purposes, so Satan appeals to lines from Psalm 91:11-12. And again, he knows what he is doing: at a time when Jesus feels alone, when he is in the desert, Satan tempts him with lines from that most comforting song: “He who dwells in the shelter of the Most High will abide in the shadow of the Almighty.” It is full of promises of God's protection and deliverance: in battle, from wild animals, from dangerous diseases. And yet it is singularly inappropriate for Jesus' messianic vocation: He has come to suffer and die. To avail himself of divine protection against these sufferings would be to deny his messiahship. So Jesus replies with words from Deuteronomy again. "Again it is written, 'You shall not put the Lord your God to the test.'" -Matthew 4:7 This is from Deuteronomy 6, that chapter which contains the Shema, the single verse of the Torah that could be called the creed of Israel: “Hear, O Israel, the Lord our God, the Lord is one. You shall love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might.” It is the core chapter of the Torah about Israel's relationship with God. He has rescued her from Egypt and taken her to Himself to be His bride; at Mount Sinai, he has married her. But Israel was not faithful. She tested the Lord like a wife acting up to trying to make her husband angry. When there was no water to drink, Exodus 17 says, “Therefore the people quarreled with Moses and said, "Give us water to drink." And Moses said to them, "Why do you quarrel with me? Why do you test the LORD?" (Exodus 17:2) The verb used here, and also by Jesus in Matthew 4:7, is πειράζω. Note well: Who was doing the testing in the wilderness for 40 years? Exodus and Deuteronomy say it clearly: Israel was testing YHWH. And thus, we may perceive some clever irony in Jesus' answer to Satan here. For Satan is called “the tempter,” and in Greek, that is nothing other than a participle form of this same verb πειράζω, literally, “the testing one.” So on the one hand, Jesus' quotation of Deuteronomy 6:16 could mean, “You are asking me to test God by throwing myself down from the Temple. I am not going to do it, because Moses warned Israel not to test God.” But it could also mean, “You are testing God, Satan.” Satan doesn't take the hint. He keeps on testing Jesus. There will be more attempts later, but the last temptation that Satan tries on Jesus in the wilderness is narrated like this: Again, the devil took him to a very high mountain and showed him all the kingdoms of the world and their glory. And he said to him, "All these I will give you, if you will fall down and worship me." -Matthew 4:8-9 Why does Satan take him to a very high mountain? In the Bible, mountaintop scenes are real estate transactions. If I sell you this pen, it's simple enough: you put money in my hand, and I put the pen in yours, and you carry it away with you. But houses and land don't fit in your pocket. So we have other procedures. In our day, we get banks and notaries involved and sign a lot of documents. But in the ancient world, you took possession by inspecting the property after the transfer.  This is done in the case of Abram in Genesis 13:17: “Arise, walk in the land through its length and its width, for I give it to you.” The same thing happens when Moses is about to die; in one sense, Moses doesn't get the promised land, because he dies before he can enter into it; but in another sense, God actually gives him the land, because he takes him up on a mountain and shows it to him, and this is the formal transfer of the land: “Go up this mountain of the Abarim, Mount Nebo, which is in the land of Moab, across from Jericho; view the land of Canaan, which I give to the children of Israel as a possession..” (Deuteronomy 32:49) Satan is attempting to use the same convention in Matthew 4:8. He is trying to get Jesus to make a deal, offering the kingdoms of the world in exchange for worship. But Jesus has no need to make such a bargain, for God had already promised to give the Messiah everything Satan is offering, and Jesus, whose self-understanding as the Messiah is shaped by Isaiah's description of the suffering servant, knows it very well from Isaiah 49: The Lord says: "It is too light a thing that you should be my servant to raise up the tribes of Jacob and to bring back the preserved of Israel; I will make you as a light for the nations, that my salvation may reach to the end of the earth." (Isaiah 49:6) He knows it also from Psalm 2: I will tell of the decree: The LORD said to me, "You are my Son; today I have begotten you. Ask of me, and I will make the nations your heritage, and the ends of the earth your possession. Ask of God. Not of Satan. The nations belong to the Lord, not to Satan. Jesus has no intention of making a bargain to purchase what Satan wrongly claims to own. In Matthew 12, after the Pharisees accuse Jesus of casting out demons by the power of Satan, Jesus replies that, How can someone enter a strong man's house and plunder his goods, unless he first binds the strong man? Then indeed he may plunder his house. (Matthew 12:29) And he does plunder it. We see the result in Revelation 20: “And he seized the dragon, that ancient serpent, who is the devil and Satan, and bound him for a thousand years, and threw him into the pit, and shut it and sealed it over him, so that he might not deceive the nations any longer...” -Revelation 20:3 And as for the real estate deal Satan was trying to make, well, we see the end of that at the very end of Matthew's gospel. For the Great Commission too takes place on a mountain, and this setting seems significant, especially in light of Jesus' declaration that “all authority in heaven and earth” has been given to Him. This is a pointed contrast with Satan's lying statement, "To you I will give all this authority and their glory, for it has been delivered to me, and I give it to whom I will.” (Luke 4:6 NKJV) Quite the contrary, Jesus, having refused Satan's bargain, and having bound him and plundered his goods, now bestows the kingdom on His disciples and takes possession of the nations by sending his disciples to teach and baptize them. I want to end by correcting three misapprehensions that some people might have about this story, which may prevent them from grasping what it teaches us about God. One mistake some have is that Jesus didn't really suffer in the wilderness; that His divine nature was smirking and unbothered by Satan's temptations aimed at his human nature; that all these things just rolled off of Jesus like water off a duck's back. We know this was not the case. Recall Gethsemane again, where Jesus begged the Father to “take this cup from me,” and his sweat fell to the ground like drops of blood — drops of blood, not water off a duck's back. A second mistake would be to think that, yes, Jesus suffered, but that's only because He is human. But that is not what the Bible says. It says that Jesus revealed the Father by his sufferings; that if you want to know what the Father is like, you should look at Jesus, for He who has seen Him has seen the Father. Greek philosophers say that God is an unmoved mover, and that God cannot suffer because he is perfect; but the Bible tells us that Jesus was “made perfect by sufferings.” (Heb. 5:9) Greek philosophers tell us that God cannot be afflicted; the Bible says that “in all their afflictions, He was afflicted.” (Isaiah 63:9) Greeks and Romans thought that suffering was miserable and degrading, and that if you are suffering, you must not have any glory or power; the Bible says that Jesus “humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross. Therefore — not in spite of his sufferings, but because of them! — God has highly exalted him and bestowed on him the name that is above every name.” (Philippians 2:8) There is no clearer picture of Israel's God than the cross of Jesus Christ. That is where we finally see God fully revealed. Finally, a third mistake would be to think that, yes, Jesus' sufferings were powerful and important, but ours are not. The truth is exactly the opposite. As George MacDonald put it, “The Son of God suffered, not that we might not suffer, but that our sufferings might be like His.” And they are. “For this light momentary affliction is preparing for us an eternal weight of glory...” (2 Corinthians 4:17) We are in the Messiah. His story, Israel's story, is our story. In Him, we are faithful Israelites, true to Deuteronomy 6. In Him, we are the suffering servant of Isaiah's prophecies. In Him, the kingdoms of the world belong to us. In Him, we too are victorious over Satan. Let us pray. Lord Jesus Christ, for our sake you fasted forty days and forty nights: give us grace so to discipline ourselves that our flesh being subdued to the Spirit, we may always obey your will in righteousness and true holiness, to the honour and glory of your name; for you live and reign with the Father and Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever.  Amen.

Not Righteous Professing Christians Are "Whitewashed Tombstones" - Pretty on the Outside but Dead on the Inside MESSAGE SUMMARY: A righteousness, that comes from your being in communion with the Holy Spirit, is not like a professing Christian who is really just a "whitewashed tombstone" -- pretty on the outside but dead on the inside. Rather, followers of Jesus are called to live righteous lives, as we are instructed by the Psalmist in Psalms 37:39: “The salvation of the righteous is from the LORD; he is their stronghold in the time of trouble.". Also, Paul tells us in Romans 1:17: “For in it the righteousness of God is revealed from faith for faith, as it is written, ‘The righteous shall live by faith.'”. In Acts 1:8, Jesus tells us, as His followers, that: “But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.". In Matthew 5, Jesus tells us, as His followers, that we are different and blessed; and these blessings flow from your living a righteous life in Him. Allow the Holy Spirit to create in you a clean and pure heart.   TODAY'S PRAYER: Lord, I acknowledge that I prefer to ignore and deny my pain and loss. I struggle with seeing how resurrection life can come out of death. Grant me the courage to pay attention to what you are doing, and to wait on you — even when everything in me wants to run away. In Jesus' name, amen. Scazzero, Peter. Emotionally Healthy Spirituality Day by Day (p. 114). Zondervan. Kindle Edition. TODAY'S AFFIRMATION: Today, because of I am filled with the Holy Spirit, I will not be controlled by my Inconsistencies. Rather, I will walk in the Spirit's fruit of Faithfulness. “The fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control.” (Galatians 5:22f). SCRIPTURE REFERENCE (ESV): Matthew 5:1-48; Romans 1:17; Romans 2:13; Psalms 70a:1-12. A WORD FROM THE LORD WEBSITE: www.AWFTL.org. THIS SUNDAY'S AUDIO SERMON: You can listen to Archbishop Beach's Current Sunday Sermon: “Essentials Part 4 – One God, Not Three ” at our Website: https://awordfromthelord.org/listen/ DONATE TO AWFTL: https://mygiving.secure.force.com/GXDonateNow?id=a0Ui000000DglsqEAB

One of theclearest verses in the Bible that speaks about the Word of God being the swordof God in found in Hebrews 4:12. “For the Word of God is quick and powerfuland sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the dividing of soul andspirit and of the joints and marrow and is a discerner of the thoughts andintents of the heart.” First,this verse says the Bible is “quick”, which literally means it's aliving book. It's alive. It's not a dead book. It tells us the Word of God ispowerful! When this Bible is used as the sword of the Spirit, my friend, it cando wonderful and awesome things for the glory of God. And it is sharper than aphysical material sword so that it is “a discerner of the thoughts andintents of the heart”. You see, a physical sword can pierce the body, butthe Word of God pierces the heart. It doesn't pierce to destroy. It pierces toreveal. It pierces to convict. It pierces to heal. That'swhy on the day of Pentecost when Peter preached, he preached the Bible from theOld Testament Scriptures. Acts 2:37 tells us what happened at the end of hismessage with the response of those who heard it, "Now when they heardthis, they heard his message based on the word of God, they were pricked intheir hearts." Later, speaking of the religious leaders in Acts 5:33,as Peter again spoke the Word of God, it says, "And when they heardthis, they were cut to the heart." That's the sword of the Spirit atwork. It cuts through pride. It cuts through excuses. It cuts through religiousperformance. It cuts through deception. It gets right down to the truth. Rememberin 2 Corinthians 4:4 where Paul was writing about the people that are withoutChrist. He said that they are blinded by Satan: “Whom the god of this worldhas blinded the minds of those that believe not”. Now how do you deal withthat? How do you overcome that deception of Satan? You do it with the Word ofGod, with the Word and Testimony of Jesus Christ in the Holy Scriptures! Itopens their eyes to see who Jesus really is and what life is really all about. Weneed to always remember how the Word of God is alive and it's sharper than anytwo-edged sword.  Whatis also interesting about it, when you use the Word, it gets sharper with use,not duller. A physical sword gets duller the more you use it. But the Word ofGod's not like that. The more you use the Word, the sharper it becomes in yourlife. The more you handle the Scriptures, the more Scripture begins to handleyou. The more you yield it in battle, the more confident and skilled that youcan become with it. My friend, you don't become strong in the word by admiringthe Bible on your shelf. You become strong in the Word by opening it daily,reading it, believing it, and memorizing it, and applying it to your life. Weneed to remember that Satan is no match for the Word of God. In Matthew 16:18,Jesus said, “Upon this rock I'll build my church and the gates of hell willnot prevail or can stand against it”. When youtake up the sword of the spirit and you can advance against the gates of hellitself. They cannot stand against you with the sword of Spirit in your heartand hand. Why? You're using God's mighty weapon, the Word of the sword of the Spirit.You're not dealing with anything that you can see in a sense. You're dealingwith the forces and principalities of the air. No powers, no rulers ofdarkness, no wicked spirits, not even Satan himself has a defense against the Wordof God when it's rightly used. Myfriend, that's why the devil, Satan works so hard to keep Christians distractedfrom the Bible, bored with the Bible, confused about the Bible, shallow intheir knowledge of scripture, and dependent on feelings instead of truth. Todayif the devil can keep the sword of the Spirit out of your hand, you will not beable to stand and move forward in the Christian experience as you should.  

What if Shabbat isn't just “not working”?  What if it's about healing and wholeness?  Learning to stop striving, because you're not a solo ox--there's a stronger ox connected to you! In Matthew 11–12, Yeshua doesn't just teach about rest--he is that rest, and challenges how the religious leaders understood it. “Come to me, all who are weary and broken, and you will find rest for your souls.” Check out our latest sermon from Rabbi David along with some glimpses of the real-time survey from our community about Shabbat!

In Matthew 12:38–42, the Pharisees ask Jesus for “just one more sign.” But after witnessing healings, miracles, and undeniable evidence, their request wasn’t about proof—it was about resistance. In this message, we explore: * Why Jesus calls them a “wicked and adulterous generation” * The difference between honest doubt and stubborn unbelief * The Sign of Jonah and the power of the resurrection * What the Queen of Sheba and Nineveh reveal about real faith * How proximity to truth is not the same as obedience Have we ever asked God for a “sign” when what we really needed was obedience? This message challenges us to examine whether we are seeking confirmation—or simply resisting what we already know to be true.

In Matthew 10:7–8, Jesus tells His disciples, “Freely you have received; freely give.” In 2 Corinthians 9:6–15, Paul teaches that generosity works like a seed—you don't reap what you store, only what you sow. Together, these passages reveal that generosity is not about money first—it's about trust, grace, and living in the story of God.In this message from our Freely Given series, we explore:• Why generosity is part of God's restoration strategy• The difference between scarcity and grace• How open-handed living reshapes our hearts• Why the early church changed the world through generosityWe wake up every day into a story—one that tells us to clench our fists and protect what we have. But Jesus invites us into a better story, where open hands lead to freedom, joy, and lasting fruit.

In Matthew 19:13–15, families bring children to Jesus for prayer, and the disciples try to stop them. It looks responsible. It sounds efficient. But Jesus interrupts the interruption and says, “Let the little children come to me…do not hinder them.” This message asks a personal question: do I live like a recipient of grace, or like someone who manages access to it? From church culture to everyday relationships, we can subtly “gatekeep” belonging. Jesus shows a different way. The kingdom isn't earned by the impressive, it's received by the dependent and open. You'll hear practical, honest applications for families, students, and anyone who wants to become a person who creates space instead of guarded doors. Because when we remember we're recipients, we become the kind of people who say: let them come.

In Matthew 23:29–39, Jesus exposes the danger of opposing God while thinking you're serving him. Tom Vang explores spiritual blindness, religious hypocrisy, and Christ's deep compassion for his people. This message calls us to honest self-examination and a humble return to Jesus.If you haven't already, click ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠HERE⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ to download the Sermon Application Guide to follow along.For more information on how to get connected with Five Oaks Church, visit ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.fiveoaks.church/connect-me⁠

When are people watching your life the most? Not when everything is going well—but when you walk through difficulty with a peace that doesn't make sense. In Matthew 5:13–20, Jesus reminds us that we are not just saved by grace—we are sent with purpose. You are the salt of the earth. You are the light of the world. Our lives should push back darkness and point people to Christ. So the question is: are you shining… or just sitting in the shaker?

Christians are a going people.Every human being longs to be part of something bigger than themselves. In Matthew 9:35-10:15, Jesus looks at the crowds with compassion and sends his disciples out to proclaim the kingdom, thus calling them into a vast and compelling mission. In this sermon, we explore how God's people are to be a "going" people, sent into the world to further Christ's cause.

Join us as we continue our sermon series, "WHO IS JESUS?" In Matthew 16, Jesus asks His disciples the most important question anyone will ever answer: “Who do you say I am?”Our answer to this question determines everything. How we live, how we worship, who we trust, and ultimately where we will spend eternity.Online resources: https://www.renovatethecity.com/

In Matthew 7:1-12, Jesus provides essential guidance for building healthy relationships within the kingdom of God. He begins by addressing the difference between harmful judgment and loving discernment. While believers shouldn't engage in critical, condemning judgment that acts as judge, jury, and executioner, they are called to practice wise discernment that starts with self-examination and moves through mercy and grace.The passage reveals that prayer plays a crucial role in transforming relationships. Through the three levels of prayer - asking, seeking, and knocking - believers can find their security and wholeness in God rather than trying to get others to meet their emotional needs. This shift from relating out of deficit to relating from overflow changes everything about how we interact with others. When we're filled with God's love, peace, and joy through consistent prayer, we can treat people the way we want to be treated regardless of how they treat us.Calling believers to proactive love rather than reactive behavior. This is only possible when we maintain both vertical intimacy with God through prayer and horizontal health in our relationships with others. Our relationships directly impact our prayers, and our prayer life directly transforms our relationships, creating a cycle of spiritual health and kingdom effectiveness.

A synagogue leader falls at Jesus' feet. A woman reaches out in secret.In Matthew 9:18–26, two stories collide, revealing the heart of Jesus for the broken, the overlooked, and the hopeless. Listen as Steve Coleman invites to consider where we need to trust Him for healing and new life.

In Matthew 4:18-25, we see two very different responses to Jesus. Large crowds gathered, drawn by His miracles and what He could do for them. But Jesus also called specific disciples - ordinary fishermen whom He promised to transform into fishers of men. This sermon explores the crucial difference between being part of the crowd and being truly called by Jesus. The crowds were often fickle, loving Jesus for what they could get from Him. But the disciples left everything immediately to follow Him, and Jesus transformed them completely. Which are you - crowd or called? You can attend church without truly being part of God's family. But Jesus is still calling imperfect people today, and His call demands a response. He promises to transform those who answer His call. Key Points: The crowd was drawn by what Jesus could do for them Jesus took the initiative to call ordinary fishermen Crowds gather, but disciples are called Crowds consume, but disciples sacrifice Crowds stay comfortable, but disciples are transformed Jesus is still calling and transforming believers today

Some names in Scripture roar like thunder. Others move like steady footsteps on a quiet road.This message dives into James the son of Alphaeus, Simon the Zealot, and Thaddeus — three apostles barely mentioned in the Gospels, yet eternally remembered in heaven. While Peter preached at Pentecost and John leaned close at the Last Supper, these men walked faithfully without headlines, hashtags, or historical fanfare.And yet Jesus chose them.In Matthew 19:28 (ESV), Jesus promised that all twelve would sit on thrones judging the tribes of Israel. In Revelation 21:14 (ESV), the twelve apostles' names are written on the foundations of the New Jerusalem. Not just the famous ones. All of them.This sermon explores:• James the Son of Alphaeus — called “James the lesser” (Mark 15:40). No recorded sermons. No spotlight moments. Yet faithful to the end. A reminder that heaven measures devotion, not platform size. • Simon the Zealot — once aligned with Jewish nationalist zeal, possibly even revolutionary movements (Luke 6:15). Jesus transformed his political fire into gospel flame, uniting him with Matthew the former tax collector under one King. • Thaddeus (Judas, not Iscariot) — a man of three names who asked one recorded question (John 14:22). He expected a visible kingdom. Jesus revealed a deeper one — an indwelling presence (John 14:23).In a world obsessed with recognition, likes, and visibility, this message reminds us:Heaven does not count followers. Heaven counts faithfulness.We examine:• Matthew 6:4 — The Father who sees in secret rewards openly. • 2 Corinthians 5:10 — The Bema Seat of Christ, where believers are evaluated not for salvation, but for stewardship. • 1 Corinthians 3:12–15 — Works tested by fire. Gold remains. Straw disappears. • 2 Corinthians 4:5 — The messenger is never the focus. Christ is. • Matthew 28:19–20 — The mission was never about building apostle brands, but making disciples.Some applause on earth may be silence in eternity. Some quiet obedience here may echo forever.If you have ever felt unseen, overlooked, or “lesser,” this sermon will encourage you. God sees. God remembers. God rewards.Faithfulness, not recognition, is what heaven celebrates.

Thanks for joining us for worship and a message from Pastor Mark. We hope you experience God through worship and the word this morning.Why God Created Us. God did not create us to live isolated, self protected, or casually connected. He created us for sacred community.From the very beginning, God's design for His people was not individual performance but shared devotion. We are better together, stronger together, and able to reflect His love more fully when we live connected lives.The early church in Acts 2:42–47 gives us a clear picture of what this kind of community looks like. Believers were not simply attending church services. They were devoted to one another. They shared meals, resources, prayers, and their lives. Their faith was lived out together, not privately or selectively.This kind of community required openness, generosity, and responsibility. It meant moving beyond being church consumers and becoming people who carried ownership of one another's spiritual well being. Their love was active, sacrificial, and visible and it became deeply attractive to those watching from the outside.The message challenges us to ask an honest question: Are we living like the church in Acts, or are we avoiding what we were created for?We often present the “front yard” version of our lives. The part that looks put together. Some people are invited into the living room. A few into the kitchen. But the backyard, the messy, hidden, unfinished parts of us, stays locked.Sacred community requires more than surface connection. It requires trusted relationships where responsibility and access go hand in hand. Healing happens when we allow others to help us work out our salvation, not alone, but together.Jesus made it clear that love is the measure. In Matthew 22:37–39, He connects love for God directly to love for others. We are called to love with all that we are, not selectively, not safely, but fully.The church in Acts loved each other with that kind of depth. They were all in. Front yard, living room, kitchen, and backyard. That unity reflected the very nature of God Himself. Jesus prayed for this kind of oneness in John 17:11, asking that His followers would be one just as He and the Father are one.Sacred community is not casual. It is committed. It is marked by shared responsibility, mutual care, and deep respect for both God and one another. In this kind of community, no one is overlooked, no one is uninvolved, and no one walks alone.This is what God created us for. And when we live this way, Scripture tells us that each day the Lord adds to the fellowship those who are being saved.Not because of programs.Not because of performance.But because love like that cannot be ignored.

Transfiguration Sunday Sermon: Open Mouth, Insert FootScripture: Matthew 17:1-9Life doesn't just overwhelm us with busy schedules—it also trips us up in what we say and how quickly we react. We speak before we think, rush to explain, and try to manage holy moments with our own words. In Matthew 17:1–9, Peter does exactly that on the mountaintop, blurting out a response in the middle of God's glory. And honestly? We've all been there.In this Sunday's sermon, “Open Mouth, Insert Foot,” we'll explore this powerful moment of the Transfiguration and what it teaches us about listening, humility, and letting God be God. When the disciples want to do something, God invites them simply to listen to Jesus. Join us as we reflect on how often our words get ahead of our faith—and how Christ gently calls us to quiet our voices, open our hearts, and pay attention to what truly matters.Worship Schedule 8:45am: Contemporary Service10am: Sunday School11am: Traditional Service

Pastor Will challenges the idea that purpose is something we must find. In Matthew 4, Jesus shows that purpose comes through following him in everyday life. Fulfillment grows over time as we walk with Christ and others, allowing him to transform ordinary work and relationships. Purpose isn't discovered through pressure or perfection—it's revealed through faithfully following Jesus together each day.

Saturday, 14 February 2026   Assuredly, I say to you, there are some standing here who shall not taste death till they see the Son of Man coming in His kingdom.” Matthew 16:28   “Amen! I say to you that they are some of those having stood here who not they should taste death until if they should see the Son of Man coming in His kingdom.” (CG).   In the previous verse, Jesus told His disciples that the Son of Man is about to come in His kingdom, and then He will give each according to his practice. He next says, “Amen! I say to you that they are some of those having stood here.”   The Greek verb is a perfect participle. As can be seen, the NKJV fails to properly elucidate this, saying, “some standing here.” In fact, one would be hard-pressed to find a translation that accurately translates the verb. Instead, they rely on a present tense or present participle rendering. But Jesus' words indicate a completed action, the results of which are still present or relevant, “having stood here.” The same perfect participle is found in the same context in Mark 9:1. Combined with the words, “some...here,” this limits the scope of what is said to those present. Of those referred to, Jesus next says they are those “who not they should taste death.”   A new word is seen, geuomai, to taste. It is used figuratively here to indicate experiencing. It is aorist subjunctive, viewing the whole as a single completed event. In other words, these will not experience death, “until if they should see the Son of Man coming in His kingdom.”   The meaning of this is widely debated. Is this referring to the transfiguration? Does this speak of the resurrection? Is it the beginning of the church at Pentecost? Is it the destruction of the temple in AD70? Is it referring to the millennial kingdom? And so on. Each of these has its supporters. For example, some believe that Jesus' words in John 21:22 mean that John is still alive and he will be one of the two witnesses. One of several problems with that is that the two witnesses will be killed before the Son of Man returns. Further, Jesus' words in Matthew 16:28 are plural, indicating more than one person. One of many problems with the destruction of the temple view is that Jesus didn't return in AD70. If He did, other words of Jesus would be a complete failure, such as Matthew 24:27.   There is no record of such an event, something that would not be lacking. That is an unbiblical attempt by preterists to dismiss any future prophecy, including the restoration of national Israel as a literal, historical event.   The problem with the Pentecost view is that it was the Holy Spirit, not Jesus, who came upon the people in Acts 2. To conflate the meaning of one with the other is stretching the text like a rubber band, which will eventually snap. As for the resurrection view, as Jesus was not in a glorified state at the resurrection, that also seems to be a stretch of the intent.   The account that is noted next at the beginning of Matthew 17 follows in the same manner in all three synoptic gospels, which is a strong hint that tells us that the transfiguration is what Jesus is referring to. It is a kingdom foretaste for the benefit of the disciples. As it is recorded in the word, it is thus provided as a benefit for all.   This glorified state was then viewed by John when he received the book of Revelation, including Jesus' return in Revelation 19. For a fuller and more complete explanation of the details of Matthew 16, please continue reading the life application section of this commentary.   Life application: Chapter 16 of Matthew is a passage that petitions the Jews of the end times to consider who Jesus is based on their own history, comparing it to how He is portrayed in Scripture.   In verse 1, Jesus was approached by the Pharisees and Sadducees, who asked for a sign from heaven. As in Chapter 15, these types of men represent the same thinking and paradigm as the rabbis of Israel today. Jesus told them that they could read the signs in the sky, but they could not discern the signs of the times.   With the coming of the end times, the Jews of Israel would naturally be expected to understand the situation they are in, but they will be clueless about the matter. In verse 4, Jesus said that the generation was wicked and adulterous, something akin to what Peter calls the Jews who rejected Jesus in Acts 2:40. Jesus continued that no sign would be given to it, except the sign of the prophet Jonah.   As explained, the sign of the prophet Jonah is the destruction of the temple, it being a year for a day based on Jonah's proclamation, “Yet forty days, and Nineveh shall be overthrown.”   In the end times, the Jews will have to look to their Scriptures, understand that their temple was destroyed and they were exiled for rejecting Jesus, internalize this truth, and then have faith in Him based on that.   As an explanation of the doctrine of faith in the Messiah, in verse 5, the disciples went across the Sea of Galilee. As such, they crossed the Jordan because the Jordan runs through the sea. Being on the other (east) side signifies those who have not come through Christ to be saved. Jesus told them in verse 6 to take heed and beware of the leaven of the Pharisees. They thought He was talking about bread. But He corrected them by recapping the miracles of feeding the five thousand and the four thousand.   These miracles, anticipating the salvation of Jews and Gentiles, testify to His being the Messiah. What He was warning them about was the doctrine of those false teachers, not about bread. Their doctrine is to be equated with the false doctrine of the rabbis and other law teachers of the end times who have returned to law observance, temple worship, etc. It is a warning that the end times Jews are not to follow those Satan-led examples. Faith in Jesus, as represented by the feeding of the masses, is what brings restoration with God.   In verse 13, it is noted that Jesus came into the region of Caesarea Philippi. Caesarea is derived from Caesar. The idea of being a Caesar is the deification of the individual. He is attributed a god-like status. Philippi is from Philip, a lover of horses. But in Scripture, a horse is metaphorically used as a source of military pride –   “Some trust in chariots, and some in horses; But we will remember the name of the Lord our God.” Psalm 20:7   Abarim rightly defines Philippi with the lengthy paraphrase, They Who Lean On Their Military Complex. It is exactly the source of pride that Israel of today is heading towards. Their military superiority is their source of pride and is exalted to god-like status. This will only increase after the battle of Gogd/Magog.   It is in this prefigured end-times state that Jesus asks them who He is. The various answers are answers you could expect from Jews. Jesus was a prophet (or false prophet) or whatever. However, Simon Peter proclaims Him the Christ. What was Jesus' response? “Blessed are you, Simon Bar-Jonah.”   The same name that was acknowledged as the sign in verse 4 is now noted by Jesus. He is Simon (Hearer) Son of Jonah. In other words, he represents the Jews who have understood (heard) the sign of Jonah. To be a son signifies identity. The end times Jews who acknowledge Jesus as the Christ are “sons of Jonah,” because they have made the connection by understanding the sign. In essence, “We missed Him when He came, but we know now who He is.”   It is on this proclamation that Jesus will build His out-calling of those in the end times. They will receive the keys to the kingdom of the heavens, entering into the millennial reign of Christ. In verse 21, Jesus spoke of His destiny to suffer and die. Peter's words of admonishment stirred Jesus to turn His back on him, call him Satan, and tell him he was not mindful of the things of God, but the things of men.   It is a warning to the end times Jews that they are to accept a crucified Savior as the role of the Messiah. Israel looked, and still looks, for a conquering Messiah, but His role as the crucified Messiah is what God highlights in Him more than all else.   From there, Jesus told the disciples the words about denying themselves and losing their souls in order to save their souls. The thought is "losing their souls (meaning their lives) in order to save their souls."  It is exactly what is seen in Revelation –   “Then a third angel followed them, saying with a loud voice, “If anyone worships the beast and his image, and receives his mark on his forehead or on his hand, 10 he himself shall also drink of the wine of the wrath of God, which is poured out full strength into the cup of His indignation. He shall be tormented with fire and brimstone in the presence of the holy angels and in the presence of the Lamb.” Revelation 14:9, 10  &   “And I saw something like a sea of glass mingled with fire, and those who have the victory over the beast, over his image and over his mark and over the number of his name, standing on the sea of glass, having harps of God.” Revelation 15:2   In verse 27, it said, “For the Son of Man is about to come in His Father's glory with His messengers.” This is exactingly described in Revelation 19:11 –   “And I saw the heaven having been opened. And you behold! Horse, white! And the ‘sitting upon it' being called ‘Faithful and True,' and in righteousness He judges, and He battles” (CG).   Jesus is coming in His Father's glory. In Matthew 24, it notes that in the end times, He will send out His angels (Greek: messengers) to gather His elect.   The final verse of the chapter then said, “Amen! I say to you, that they are some of those having stood here who not they will taste death until if they should see the Son of Man coming in His kingdom.” Again, this is exactly what occurs in Revelation. Some of the end times Jews will make it through the entire tribulation, not seeing death until they behold Jesus coming in His kingdom.   These things are gleaned from Matthew 16, forming a picture of what is coming in the future for Israel.   Lord God, how precious it is to know that You will not reject Israel, even when the whole world is imploding, You will be with them and carry them as a people through the tribulation and into the time promised to them so long ago. Thank You for Your covenant faithfulness, even to those of us who fail You constantly. Amen. Matthew 16   16 And having approached, the Pharisees and Sadducees, testing, they queried Him to show them a sign from heaven. 2And answering, He said to them, “Evening having come, you say, ‘Good weather!', for the heaven, it is red, 3and early, ‘This day... inclemency!', for glowering, the heaven, it reddens. Hypocrites! Indeed, you know to discern the face of the heaven, and the seasons' signs, not you can. 4Generation – evil and adulteress – it seeks a sign, and a sign – not it will be given it – if not the sign of Jonah the prophet.” And having left them, He departed.   5And His disciples, having come to the beyond, they overlooked to take bread. 6And Jesus, He said to them, “You behold, and you caution from the leaven of the Pharisees and Sadducees.”   7And they deliberated in themselves, saying, “Because not we took bread!” 8And Jesus, having known, said to them, “Why – you deliberate in yourselves, little-faithed? Because you took no bread? 9You grasp, not yet, nor you recollect the five loaves – the five thousand, and how many handbaskets you took? 10Nor the seven loaves – the four thousand, and how many hampers you took? 11How not you recollect that I spoke not concerning bread to you! Caution from the leaven of the Pharisees and Sadducees.” 12Then they comprehended that not He said to caution from the leaven – the bread, but from the teaching – the Pharisees and Sadducees.   13And Jesus, having come to the allotments – Caesarea, the Phillipi, He entreated His disciples, saying, “Whom they say, the men, Me to be, the Son of Man?”   14And they said, “These, indeed, John the Immerser, and others Elijah, and others, Jeremiah or one of the prophets.”   15He says to them, “And you, whom you say Me to be?”   16And answering, Simon Peter, he said, “You, You are the Christ, the Son of God, the living.”   17And Jesus, answering, He said to him, “Blessed you are, Simon, Bar-Jonah, for flesh and blood not it revealed to you, but My Father, the ‘in the heavens'.” 18And I also, I say to you that you, you are Peter, and upon this – the Rock – I will build My out-calling, and Hades' gates, not they will overpower her. 19And I will give you the keys of the kingdom of the heavens. And whatever, if you may bind upon the earth, it will be ‘having been bound' in the heavens. And whatever, if you may loosen upon the earth, it will be ‘having been loosed' in the heavens.” 20Then He enjoined His disciples that they should say to none that He, He is Jesus the Christ.   21From then He began, Jesus, to show His disciples that it necessitates Him to depart to Jerusalem and to suffer many from the elders, and chief priests, and scribes, and be killed, and the third day be roused.   22And Peter, having clutched Him, he began to admonish Him, saying, “Propitious, to You, Lord! No, not it will be, this to You!”   23And, having turned, He said to Peter, “You withdraw behind Me, Satan! Snare, you are, to Me. For you think not these of God but these of men.”   24The Jesus, He said to His disciples, “If any, he desires to come after Me, let him disown himself, and he took his cross, and he follows Me. 25For whoever, if he may desire to save his soul, he will lose it. And whoever, if he may lose his soul because of Me, he will find it. 26For what it benefits a man if he may gain the whole world and he may lose his soul? Or what will he give, man, equivalent his soul? 27For the Son of Man is about to come in His Father's glory with His messengers. And then He will give each according to his practice. 28Amen! I say to you, that they are some of those having stood here who not they will taste death until if they should see the Son of Man coming in His kingdom.”

Exploring the Connection Between Matthew 16 and Nehemiah For BibleInTen.com - By DH, 14th February 2026 Welcome back to Bible in Ten! Today, we have another bonus episode as our daily commentary from CG at the Superior Word rounds off Matthew Chapter 16. Matthew's Gospel contains 28 chapters, and remarkably, it mirrors the first 28 books of the Old Testament as arranged in the Christian Bible. So in this episode, having considered Matthew 16, we'll now look at its fascinating counterpart: Book 16 of the Old Testament-Nehemiah. Nehemiah (נְחֶמְיָה / Nechemyah) means “Yah comforts.” That is appropriate because the whole book is comfort through restoration after judgment. Nehemiah functions as a historical “control text,” showing an established covenant pattern that Matthew 16 then re-presents prophetically (while still being literal history in Jesus' life, confirmed by the other Gospel writers).  Isn't the Word of God Amazing?! Let us now take a look at 12 connections which which support the summary of the chapter as detailed in the previous episode.     Unlike pairings between Matthew 14 with 2 Chronicles—where the correspondence spans a wider sweep of history across multiple dispensational stages—the Matthew 16 / Nehemiah pairing is compressed into a narrower prophetic frame (the tribulation-period restoration conflict) and does not proceed step by step.  The lack of a perfectly locked step-by-step sequence is itself instructive.   In Matthew 14 the picture maps a long, ordered panorama where chronology matters as it spans events across Israel's history from the dispensation of law to and prophetic future carries a clearer, more sequential structure. .. But in the Matthew 16 / Nehemiah pairing—focused on the tribulation—Scripture is not chiefly giving a detailed internal timetable; it is giving the shape of the period.   So lets turn to that shape now with these 12 steps. A Demand for a Sign and the First Opposition Matthew 16 opens with the Pharisees and Sadducees coming together to test Jesus, demanding a “sign from heaven.” It is leadership pressure-religious power trying to control the terms. Nehemiah opens with the same kind of pressure appearing as soon as restoration is announced. When Nehemiah arrives with authorization to rebuild, opposition rises immediately: Sanballat and Tobiah are “grieved” that someone came to seek Israel's good (Nehemiah 2:10). They then laugh and scorn: “What is this thing that ye do?” (2:19) The pattern is consistent: when God moves to restore, the entrenched powers demand proof, challenge legitimacy, and attempt to intimidate the work before it begins. “You Can Read the Sky… But Not the Times” Jesus says they can interpret the sky, but they cannot discern “the signs of the times.” The irony is that the very men claiming insight are the ones blind to what God is doing. Nehemiah carries that same irony in restoration form. The enemies act as if they understand the situation and control the outcome—mocking, threatening, and plotting as though the work will collapse on their schedule. But they do not know what's really happening. Their blindness shows in this: they only learn after the fact that their plan has been uncovered. In Nehemiah —“when our enemies heard that it was known unto us, and God had brought their counsel to nought…” (Nehemiah 4:15). They thought they were the ones reading the moment, but they were misreading it completely. The builders knew; the enemies did not. And once the plot was exposed, the intimidation lost its power and the work continued. The Sign of Judgment Remembered With the coming of the end times, the leaders of Israel would be expected to understand the situation they are in—but in Matthew 16 they are shown as unable to read it. Jesus calls them “wicked and adulterous” and says no sign will be given except “the sign of the prophet Jonah.” In the previous episode we learned that, Jonah's “Yet forty days” becomes a prophetic template—forty as judgment time—fulfilled in the temple's destruction about forty years after Christ, and then the long exile that followed. The end-times petition is therefore not, “wait for a new sign,” but: look back, read your history through Scripture, and believe. Nehemiah begins with that same mechanism already in place. The “sign” is not in the sky; it is in the city. Jerusalem stands as a covenant witness—broken, burned, and shamed: “the wall of Jerusalem… broken down, and the gates… burned with fire” (Nehemiah 1:3). And crucially, Nehemiah interprets that ruin as meaning—he does not treat it as mere geopolitics. He confesses, “We have dealt very corruptly… and have not kept the commandments” (1:7), and he appeals to what God had already spoken in the Scriptures about scattering for unfaithfulness and gathering upon repentance (1:8-9). Matthew 16 points Israel to a coming historical sign—temple judgment—meant to force a right reading of Scripture and history. Nehemiah opens with an earlier historical sign—Jerusalem in ruins—meant to do the same. In both cases, the issue is not that God failed to leave evidence. The issue is whether the people will stop being “clueless,” read the sign correctly, internalize what it says about their covenant state, and then return to the Lord in true faith. Crossing Over: From Exile-Space to Covenant-Space The movement across the sea of Galilee (and thus the Jordan-line running through it) pictured a spiritual boundary-those “on the other side” needing to come through Christ. Nehemiah is structured around a grand “crossing” of its own: movement from Persia and the regions “beyond the river” into the land where God's name was set. The restoration work begins when Nehemiah leaves the place of worldly security and goes to the place of covenant accountability. Beware the Leaven: Corrupt Influence Inside the People In Matthew 16, Jesus warns of the “leaven” of the Pharisees and Sadducees—doctrine and influence that works invisibly, spreading through the whole lump until everything is affected. The disciples first think He is speaking about bread, but Jesus corrects them: the danger is not what you eat, but what you absorb. Nehemiah gives a historical picture of that same leaven-principle. The enemy does not remain at the gate. He aims for infiltration—to become familiar, acceptable, even respected within the restored community. During the rebuilding, Nehemiah notes that the nobles were already entangled: “For many in Judah were pledged to him, because he was the son-in-law of Shechaniah the son of Arah, and his son Jehohanan had married the daughter of Meshullam the son of Berechiah.” (Nehemiah 6:18). The leaven isn't merely threat from outside; it is sympathy and alliance forming inside—compromise that feels normal because it comes through “our own people.” And when that leaven is left unchecked, it advances from relationships to residence. In Nehemiah 13, Tobiah is not simply corresponding with leaders—he is granted an actual chamber in the temple precincts (Nehemiah 13:4-9). The unclean influence in its mature form, so that what begins as tolerated association ends as sanctioned presence. This is exactly the warning Matthew 16 carries forward. Don't misread the matter as “bread,” as though the issue were external details. The real danger is the teaching, the partnerships, the slow drift—leavened thinking that spreads through the body while everyone tells themselves nothing serious is happening, until the holy space itself is compromised. Power, Pride, and the Military Temptation Caesarea Philippi was highlighted as a picture-space: Caesar as deified man; Philippi as leaning on the “horse” principle-military pride. Nehemiah's rebuilding occurs under constant threat. The people must be armed while they build.  They work with one hand and hold a weapon with the other (Nehemiah 4:17-18). But Nehemiah carefully frames this: the sword is not their salvation. Their security is God, and vigilance is obedience. Necessary defense exists, but pride in defense is a snare. The people are restored, yet always at risk of trusting the wall more than the Lord. “Who Do You Say That I Am?” and the Community's Confession In Matthew 16, we have the God assisted confession: “You are the Christ.” Nehemiah contains an extended sequence where Israel is restored not merely by masonry but by identity-confession through God's Word: “So they read from the Book of the Law of God, explaining it and giving insight, so that the people could understand what was being read.” (Nehemiah 8:8). This leads into confession of sin and confession of God's faithfulness (Nehemiah 9). In the Matthew framework: end-times Jews become true “hearers”- not merely readers of signs, but confessors of what the signs meant. 8. Kingdom-Order, and Covenant Enrollment In Matthew 16, everything turns on identity and confession. Israel can offer many assessments of Jesus—prophet, teacher, threat—but the end-times remnant is identified as those who follow Peter's confession: “You are the Christ.” After this, Jesus blesses Peter with a name that ties back to the only sign granted—Bar-Jonah, “son of Jonah.” In other words, Peter typifies the Jews who have heard the sign of Jonah, interpreted their own history rightly, and therefore confess the Messiah they once missed. That confession marks them out as the out-called, and it is on that proclamation that Christ speaks of kingdom entry—the granting of the keys. Nehemiah provides an Old Covenant “control text” for that same movement: a remnant comes to understanding, confession, and then formalized belonging. After the Scriptures are read and the national confession is made (Nehemiah 8-9), the people do not remain in mere emotion or general agreement. They move into enrollment—a defined act of covenant identity: “And because of all this, we make a sure covenant and write it; our leaders, our Levites, and our priests seal it” (Nehemiah 9:38; detailed in chapter 10). Names are written. Allegiance is publicly owned. Commitments and boundaries are stated. And the Hebrew meaning of these written names themselves bear connection to tribulation period events described in Revelation. In typology terms, Nehemiah shows a keys-of-the-kingdom counterpart in historical form, a concrete act of authorized inclusion into a defined covenant community. As Bar-Jonah represents those who finally hear and identify the true Messiah, the sealed covenant in Nehemiah represents those who finally own and enter the restored order. 9. A Messiah Who Must Suffer: The Offense of God's Way In Matthew 16, Peter stumbles over the suffering plan. The moment Jesus speaks openly about rejection, suffering, and death, Peter tries to correct Him—and Jesus rebukes him sharply. The warning is against demanding a triumphant, expectation-shaped messiah while rejecting the true Messiah as God presents Him—first crucified, then glorified. Nehemiah provides the historical control picture of that same offense. Restoration there advances through obedience under scorn. The workers are mocked (Nehemiah 4:1-3), threatened (4:7-8), and worn down by discouragement (4:10). Yet the work moves forward because they refuse the “easy” path of retreat, silence, or compromise. That is the typological connection: Peter's impulse—“this shall not happen to You”—is the human instinct to reject a deliverance that comes through suffering. Nehemiah's remnant models the opposite posture: they accept that God often brings vindication after humiliation.   10. Deny Yourself: The Cost of Faithfulness Under Pressure In Matthew 16, Jesus' call to deny yourself is not abstract spirituality—it is a demand for costly allegiance. In the end-times picture drawn, it means refusing the survival-instinct that compromises truth, and choosing fidelity to Christ even when it carries temporary loss. Nehemiah provides a clear historical control of that same principle. He refuses the governor's allowance—he will not enrich himself at the people's expense: “I and my brethren have not eaten the bread of the governor” (Nehemiah 5:14-19).  In both cases the work of God is advanced by those willing to serve faithfully even when they could have claimed their rights. Vindication: God's Work Revealed Before Enemies Matthew 16 ends with the thought of the Son of Man coming in glory with His messengers-a public unveiling of reality. Nehemiah contains a miniature version of that unveiling: The wall is finished, and the enemies “perceived that this work was wrought of our God” (Nehemiah 6:15-16). The point is the pattern: endurance, completion, public recognition that God did it, not man. What is done in faith is later shown to have been of God. A Remnant Standing at the End Some will make it through the tribulation without tasting death when they see the Son of Man coming in His kingdom. In Nehemiah, the “standing remnant” idea is stated in the narrative milestones that mark survival through the entire pressure campaign to the realized outcome. They survive to completion: “So the wall was finished…” (Nehemiah 6:15). They survive the intimidation campaign and remain in place: after the plot is exposed and collapses, the work continues and the enemies are put to shame (Nehemiah 6:16). They transition from building under threat to ordered life in the city: once the wall is finished, “the doors were set up,” gatekeepers and Levites are appointed, and watch is established (Nehemiah 7:1-3). They are still there as a gathered people at the end of the building phase: “all Israel dwelt in their cities… and all the people gathered themselves together as one man” (Nehemiah 7:73-8:1). They move from completion to public dedication: “at the dedication of the wall of Jerusalem…” (Nehemiah 12:27), culminating in corporate worship and rejoicing (Nehemiah 12:43). Nehemiah doesn't just end with “a wall.” It ends with a preserved community—still present, still assembled, moving from survival under pressure (6:15-16) into established order (7:1-3), unified gathering (7:73-8:1), and dedication/worship (12:27, 43). So the narrative picture of a remnant standing is explicit: some make it through, and they stand in what God established. CONCLUSION: Why This is Controlled Typology In Nehemiah, the question is: Will the returned people truly become God's people again-by truth, separation, and covenant fidelity-rather than by mere structure? In Matthew 16, the question becomes sharper and final: Will Israel discern what their own history meant, reject leavened leadership, confess the true Messiah, accept the suffering plan, and endure to the kingdom? Nehemiah gives the Old Covenant restoration pattern in history. Matthew 16 gives the New Covenant restoration petition in prophecy-picture-centered entirely on Jesus: who He is, what He must do, and what His people must endure in the tribulation period. Nehemiah rebuilds a wall around a city.  Matthew 16 reveals the confession upon which Christ builds His out-calling. Lord God, we thank You for Your word-holy, faithful, and true. Give us discernment for the times we live in. Guard us from leaven-quiet compromise, false teaching, and fear-driven counsel that sounds spiritual but serves another master.  Strengthen us to bear reproach, to deny ourselves, and to endure faithfully until Your purposes are complete.  And may all our confidence rest not in walls, not in strength, not in man-but in the name of the Lord our God. Amen.

In Matthew 4:18–22, the first disciples immediately leave their nets to follow Jesus. This 2 Minute Disciple devotional challenges us to respond to God's call without delay, taking a “Step Now” toward obedience today.

In Matthew 6:25 Jesus says, “That is why I tell you not to worry about everyday life—whether you have enough.”...

I was on my walk at the community college campus when a woman gave me an envelope with the label “John Daniels, Sr. Random Act of Kindness Day.” My eyes widened when I looked inside and saw a twenty-dollar bill and two leaflets with messages about Jesus. A year earlier, John had been fatally struck by a car after helping a homeless man and sharing words about Christ’s love with him. John’s legacy of witnessing through words and deeds lives on through the woman I met that day, along with John's other family members. In Matthew 26:13, one woman was memorialized by Jesus with these words: “Truly I tell you, wherever this gospel is preached throughout the world, what she has done will also be told, in memory of her.” The woman’s tender heart for Christ compelled her to anoint Him with expensive ointment (v. 7). What was misunderstood and criticized by others as wasteful (vv. 8-9) was commended by Jesus as “a beautiful thing” (v. 10). The woman’s costly devotion was used by God in a unique way, just as He uses our deeds today for His purposes. The envelope I received reinforced my desire to distribute resources to those on the street corners in my city, but honoring Jesus can happen in a variety of ways. Let’s tell others about Him and demonstrate His love practically.

In Matthew 7, Jesus tells us exactly how to know if we're going to fall or stand in the storms of life. Receiving and accepting the word of God is necessary… but doing what God says - following Him and obeying His word is where true life and wisdom begins! It's simple: If God says it - do it! -----Official WebsiteInstagramTwitterFacebook

Life can feel overwhelming, but God's got you. Today's message explores how Jesus calls us to trust Him above our worries and earthly concerns. In Matthew 6:19–34 we are reminded that God knows our needs and invites us to seek His kingdom first.  By focusing on eternal priorities rather than temporary worries, we can experience His steadfast care and perfect peace. We also uncover how trusting in God's timing, relying on His care, and finding rest in His promises can help diminish fear— even when life feels uncertain. Listen in and discover how trusting God with your daily needs, big and small, brings a peace that truly surpasses understanding.Follow Crossroads Women's Ministry on Facebook or Instagram at go2crossroadswomens.If you'd like more information about Crossroads Community Church, find us on any social platform @go2crossroads.

A king sends his humble son to teach the people the heart behind the law — love, forgiveness, restoration, and compassion. Some welcome him. Others think they already understand everything. In Matthew 9, Yeshua calls a tax collector, eats with sinners, and challenges the religious: “Go and learn what this means — I desire mercy, not sacrifice.” Messiah comes not to affirm what we know, but to teach us what we've missed. He calls the outsiders, confronts the insiders, and invites all of us to follow, to unlearn if necessary, and to become teachable again. Because the kingdom of God isn't built on experts — it's built on learners. Check out our latest sermon from Rabbi David, “Go and Learn” based on the New Covenant parsha.     #besorah #podcast #tikvatisrael #RVA #messianic #synagogue #judaism #yeshua #Matthew #parasha #parsha

What does it really mean to live well? In a world that equated the "good life" with success, comfort, and self-fulfillment, Jesus offers a surprising invitation. In Matthew chapter 5, Jesus redefines blessing and shows us a better way to live. This series explores how the upside-down wisdom of Jesus leads us to truly experience "The Good Life".       Westbridge Church is people helping people FIND and FOLLOW JESUS! We believe that no matter where you are in your faith, there's always a next step you can take to grow in your relationship with God. As a church, we are committed to continually growing and encouraging others to grow in their faith, connect in community, share God's grace, serve others, live generously, and have serious fun along the way.   Learn more: https://westbridgechurch.com/ Connect with us: https://linktr.ee/westbridgechurchmn Current worship: https://open.spotify.com/playlist/2lpxmpwwtzhkeebpp8frhihttp://spotify.com/playlist/2lpxmpwwtzhkeebpp8frhi

Faith doesn't stop with saying yes to Jesus – it grows, multiplies, and spreads. In Matthew 28, Jesus calls us not just to follow Him, but to make disciples who love what He loves. In this message Pastor Mark talks about what it looks like to train the found, invest in others, and live on mission – so that our faith doesn't just touch us, it changes the world.

In Matthew 9, Jesus collides head-on with a religious system that knew how to label people but had no power to restore them. Tax collectors, sinners, the sick, the ceremonially unclean, the blind, and the demonized were all considered beyond hope by Pharisaical Judaism. Their suffering was seen as deserved, their condition permanent, and their future sealed. But Jesus does something shocking. He calls Matthew out of a condemned identity. He eats with sinners the system had already judged. He corrects fasting that was rooted in religious performance rather than relationship. He restores a woman who had been isolated for twelve years because her body didn't work. He responds to Jairus, who risks his position and reputation by turning to the very Messiah the establishment rejected. He opens the eyes of blind men who see Him clearly while the religious leaders remain blind. And He delivers a demonized man whom the system could not help and instead accused. Matthew 9 reveals a powerful truth. Religious systems focus on outward conformity but cannot change the heart. They demand performance, enforce masks, and leave people trapped in hopeless cycles of behavior. Jesus does not come to repair that system. He fulfills the Mosaic Law and exposes Pharisaical Judaism as bankrupt, replacing it with a kingdom marked by mercy, restoration, and real transformation from the inside out. The question this passage leaves us with is simple but unsettling. Are we living under a system that teaches us to perform and pretend, or are we following a Savior who restores what religion has rejected? Hashtags #Matthew9 #JesusRestores #RejectedByReligion #GraceOverPerformance #GospelTruth #Kingdo

In Matthew 9, Jesus collides head-on with a religious system that knew how to label people but had no power to restore them. Tax collectors, sinners, the sick, the ceremonially unclean, the blind, and the demonized were all considered beyond hope by Pharisaical Judaism. Their suffering was seen as deserved, their condition permanent, and their future sealed. But Jesus does something shocking. He calls Matthew out of a condemned identity. He eats with sinners the system had already judged. He corrects fasting that was rooted in religious performance rather than relationship. He restores a woman who had been isolated for twelve years because her body didn't work. He responds to Jairus, who risks his position and reputation by turning to the very Messiah the establishment rejected. He opens the eyes of blind men who see Him clearly while the religious leaders remain blind. And He delivers a demonized man whom the system could not help and instead accused. Matthew 9 reveals a powerful truth. Religious systems focus on outward conformity but cannot change the heart. They demand performance, enforce masks, and leave people trapped in hopeless cycles of behavior. Jesus does not come to repair that system. He fulfills the Mosaic Law and exposes Pharisaical Judaism as bankrupt, replacing it with a kingdom marked by mercy, restoration, and real transformation from the inside out. The question this passage leaves us with is simple but unsettling. Are we living under a system that teaches us to perform and pretend, or are we following a Savior who restores what religion has rejected? Hashtags #Matthew9 #JesusRestores #RejectedByReligion #GraceOverPerformance #GospelTruth #KingdomOfGod #GreatPhysician #FromRejectionToRestoration #ChristianTeaching #BibleTeaching #JesusOverReligion

For Part 5 of our series, Jesus gives a clear and challenging warning: watch out—pay attention to the course you're setting, especially when it comes to giving, praying, and fasting. In Matthew 6, Jesus isn't calling us to secrecy for secrecy's sake; He's confronting our motives in a culture obsessed with visibility and presentation. God doesn't just reward what we do—He rewards why we do it. This message invites us to slow down, step out of performative spirituality, and rediscover the peace and power of a private life with God. From generosity that isn't tied to identity, to prayer that is relational not theatrical, to fasting that's unseen but deeply formative, we're reminded that the Father who sees in secret is shaping us, aligning us, and inviting us to enjoy real communion with Him—where something truly begins to happen. ______________________________________________________________________________________ NEW HERE? We'd love to connect with you. Text "NEW" to 323-405-3232 SERMON NOTES: www.bible.com/organizations/f223…-a8fc-3297da42c26a - Or Text: "SERMON" To: 323-405-3232 CONNECT WITH US: Hopeland Website: www.hopelandla.com Hopeland Podcast: @steinbot-519314947 Hopeland YouTube: www.youtube.com/@hopelandchurch Hopeland Facebook: @hopelandla Hopeland Instagram: @hopeland.church To support this ministry and help us continue to reach people with the gospel click here: hopelandla.com/give Or, choose a giving option here: - Venmo: @Hopeland-Church - CashApp: $HopelandChurch - Zelle: shawn@hopelandla.com - Text "Hopeland" to 833-767-5698

Faith looks to Jesus when despair would be easy.We often think of faith as something we must work up or conjure within ourselves. But what if faith is actually a response to being pursued? In Matthew 9:27-34, we read about Jesus healing two blind men who persistently pursued Him, followed by the healing of a mute man who needed to be brought to Jesus by others. In this sermon, we explore the beautiful truth that because Jesus pursues us first, we are free to pursue him in return.

Join us as we kick off our new sermon series, "WHO IS JESUS?" In Matthew 16, Jesus asks His disciples the most important question anyone will ever answer: “Who do you say I am?”Our answer to this question determines everything. How we live, how we worship, who we trust, and ultimately where we will spend eternity.Online resources: https://www.renovatethecity.com/

In Matthew 8:26 Jesus asks, “Why are you fearful, O you of little faith?” (NKJV). That's a good question. Sometimes...

In Matthew 6, Jesus warns, “Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth.” Does that mean Christians shouldn't set aside resources for future needs? On Truth For Life, Alistair Begg considers an Old Testament story that teaches something quite different. ----------------------------------------- • Click here and look for "FROM THE SERMON" to stream or read the full message. • This program is part of the series ‘The Hand of God, Volume 1' • Learn more about our current resource, request your copy with a donation of any amount. •Is death your greatest fear? Scripture teaches that it's not the end but a new beginning. Learn more and find comfort when you subscribe to a free 5-day email series on facing death with peace and hope by Alistair Begg. Request NOW Helpful Resources - Learn about God's salvation plan - Read our most recent articles - Subscribe to our daily devotional Follow Us YouTube | Instagram | Facebook | Twitter This listener-funded program features the clear, relevant Bible teaching of Alistair Begg. Today's program and nearly 3,000 messages can be streamed and shared for free at tfl.org thanks to the generous giving from monthly donors called Truthpartners. Learn more about this Gospel-sharing team or become one today. Thanks for listening to Truth For Life!

In Matthew 8:26, Jesus asks his disciples, “Why are you afraid?” At first we wonder if he's serious, but he's...

What happens when the King of Kings gets publicly humiliated — and says nothing?In Matthew 27:27-30, Jesus is stripped, mocked, crowned with thorns, and beaten by Roman soldiers. It's brutal. It's degrading. And it's the scene most of us want to skip over.But this is where we see something we desperately need — the most powerful Being in the universe choosing silence over revenge. He could have destroyed every soldier in that room. He didn't. Not because He was weak. Because He trusted the Father's plan more than His own flesh wanted to fight back.In this episode, Alex and Lokelani walk through what Jesus' response in that moment teaches us about suffering, pride, and what it actually looks like to have real hope — not the kind the world sells you, but the kind that quiets your soul even when everything around you is falling apart.We also dig into Psalm 131 and 1 Peter 2:18-24 to unpack why staying in your lane isn't giving up — it's trusting God with the parts of life you can't control.If you've ever been mocked for your faith, overlooked for doing the right thing, or just felt like the good you're doing isn't being seen — this one is for you.