Podcasts about pastor matt

In this Sunday Extra podcast, Pastor Matt walks through John chapters 7-12, covering Jesus's final six months of public ministry before the cross. During this intensifying period, Jesus became increasingly direct about his divine identity through seven miraculous signs and "I am" statements - claims that clearly identified him as God to the Jewish leaders. These Revelations divided people into three groups that still exist today: the curious (interested but undecided), the convinced (those who believe), and the combative (those moving toward open hostility). The sermon particularly focused on spiritual blindness, drawing from the healing of the man born blind in John 9. Pastor Matt offered a "you might be spiritually blind if" framework, identifying warning signs like resisting correction, explaining away clear Biblical commands, being confident in your righteousness while cold toward Jesus, and dismissing consistent feedback from godly people. The discussion emphasized that evidence alone doesn't produce faith, and that every person must decide how to respond to Jesus - the same choice people faced two millennia ago.

Pastor Matt delivers a comprehensive warning about progressive Christianity and its political manifestations, using Texas State Senator James Talarico as a primary example. Talarico, who is pursuing theological training and frequently uses Christian language in politics, promotes positions that directly contradict Biblical Christianity including support for same-sex marriage, LGBTQ inclusion, and expanded abortion access. Pastor Matt explains that progressive Christianity differs fundamentally from Biblical Christianity in five key areas: Biblical authority, sexual ethics, abortion, government's role, and the mission of Jesus. The core theological disagreement centers on interpretive authority - progressive Christians interpret Scripture through modern moral understanding, while Biblical Christians believe modern moral thinking must be corrected by Scripture. Pastor Matt outlines eight warning signs that progressive theology might be influencing churches, including Scripture being quoted but its authority quietly redefined, sermons focusing more on cultural issues than Biblical texts, and the gospel becoming about social transformation rather than salvation from sin. He provides diagnostic questions to help listeners assess their own beliefs and identifies common progressive talking points that twist Biblical passages out of context.

We finished our Elisha series talking about how God cares about the small things in our lives and still desires to perform miracles in our lives.

In this message, Pastor Matt Wakefield teaches us how we as believers can deepen our relationship with God through the spiritual discipline of fasting. Using Acts 9:1–19, he highlights how Saul's encounter with Jesus led to a season of fasting that ultimately opened his eyes and transformed his life. Pastor Matt explains that fasting isn't about earning God's attention, but removing distractions so we can hear His voice more clearly. As we pursue God through fasting, our spiritual eyes are opened and we begin to see Jesus more clearly The vision of Mercy Culture is to take people from corporate encounters with God to daily personal encounters with God. At Mercy Culture, one of our unique characteristics is that we are a presence driven church. We are not built around any person or ministry. We are built around the presence of God. Each week, you will hear a teaching from our Lead Pastors, Les and Nikki Cody or another leader in our community. To learn more about Mercy Culture, visit https://mercyculturewaco.com  

A message from Pastor Matt!

Pastor Matt explores John chapters 7-12, which chronicle the dramatic final six months of Jesus' public ministry leading up to the crucifixion. During this period, Jesus travels between Galilee, Jerusalem, and other regions, making increasingly bold declarations about his identity. At the Feast of Booths, Jesus openly proclaims "I am the light of the world" and declares that spiritual thirst can only be satisfied in him, even claiming "before Abraham was, I am"—using God's sacred name and asserting his divinity. Jesus backs up these claims with unprecedented miracles that demonstrate his authority. He heals a man born blind, creating a powerful contrast between physical and spiritual sight as the Pharisees who could see physically became spiritually blind due to their pride and rejection of Jesus. Even more dramatically, Jesus raises Lazarus from the dead after four days—proving his authority over death itself. Yet these same miraculous events produce completely opposite responses in people. Pastor Matt identifies three groups that emerge: the curious crowd who are intrigued but undecided, convinced followers like the healed blind man who declare "I was blind, now I see," and combative religious leaders whose hostility progresses from skepticism to plotting murder. The sermon concludes that Jesus' clear Revelation of his identity forces everyone to make a decision, and neutrality is impossible when confronted with who Jesus claims to be.

Part of the "Two Kingdoms" series. If you're new to King's, make sure to text "Kings" to 94000. We'd love to hear from you! Head to kings.news for upcoming events, sermon schedules, and current announcements! Twitter | Facebook | Instagram | YouTube | kingschurchoh.com

Pastor Matt continues our sermon series called "A Prophetic Family" for the second week and invites us to see the reality that Holy Spirit is real and at work today, especially in prophecy. He takes us deeper into the specific traits of love from 1 Corinthians 13 that define how we must use prophecy to encourage, strengthen, and comfort the body of Christ - not for our own personal gain, but for the wholeness and preparation of the Bride of Christ. Big House Church is cultivating a community of passionate worshippers who partner with Jesus to create a kingdom culture on earth as it is in heaven. We meet regularly at 9 & 11 AM at The Zeider Theater in Virginia Beach, VA. For more information, go to www.bighousechurch.com

Continuing our Beatitudes series, Pastor Matt gives a thought provoking message about Grace and Mercy.

Pastor Matt gives a message with insights from the story of Rahab & the spies.

We share stories from India that turn into a lesson on honor, legacy, and why we are never the first ones in the field. We open Matthew 9 and 10 to show how Jesus responds to desperate faith, why prayer keeps our motives clean, and why every Christ follower is sent to pray for the nations. • Honor as a two-way exchange that blesses the giver • The mango grove lesson about harvesting what others planted • Refusing to take credit for fruit you only picked • Prayer as a spiritual transaction with the Creator • Jairus kneeling in desperation and bold faith • The woman with the issue of blood and faith over labels • Noticing divine interruptions instead of rushing past them • Jesus rejecting spectacle and choosing sacrifice • The danger of doing right deeds for wrong reasons • Matthew 10 and being sent with prayerful dependence • Praying for persecuted pastors and the global church • Passion defined as patient endurance 

Pastor Matt tackled the longest chapter in John's Gospel, breaking John 6 into four key sections. First, Jesus feeds the 5000, demonstrating that he meets real needs and is never surprised by them, but he multiplies what we choose to surrender. The crowd wanted to make him king, but only a certain kind of king. Second, Jesus walks on the water, revealing he's not just a provider but God himself - using the sacred "I am" when he tells the frightened disciples not to be afraid. The third section focuses on Jesus as the bread of life, where his teachings became difficult and many people left because they were only seeking him for a free meal, not genuine faith. This leads to the final section where Jesus asks the remaining disciples if they want to leave too, and Peter responds with his famous declaration: "Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life" (John 6:68). Pastor Matt emphasized that hard teachings act like sieves, separating curiosity from commitment, surface belief from genuine faith, and those who want Jesus on their terms versus his terms.

Pastor Matt walked through the longest chapter in John's Gospel, showing how John 6 reveals the difference between crowd-following and true discipleship. The chapter has four major parts: Jesus feeding the 5,000, walking on water, the bread of life discourse, and the words of eternal life. What starts with massive crowds and miracles ends with people walking away confused and offended by Jesus' hard teachings. The feeding of the 5,000 demonstrates that Jesus multiplies what is surrendered to Him, but the crowd wanted a king on their terms - a provider and political liberator, not a Savior. When Jesus walked on water, He revealed His true identity using the sacred name "I AM," showing He's not just a miracle worker but Yahweh in the flesh. In the bread of life discourse, Jesus explained that unlike the manna that sustained physical life temporarily, He is the living bread that gives eternal life. His metaphorical language about eating His flesh and drinking His blood (meaning total dependence on Him through faith, God's Word, prayer, and obedience) caused many to leave. But when Jesus asked the twelve if they wanted to go too, Peter gave the perfect response: "Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life" (John 6:68). This chapter shows that following Jesus isn't about consumption but faith and trust, and hard teachings reveal real faith because there's ultimately nowhere else to go.

03-4-26

03-8-26

Blueprint መሪ ፕላን By Pastor Matt Rudolph March 8 2026 by Beza International Ministries

What is baptism? Who should be baptized? When should we be baptized? WHY is it important that we are baptized? This week Pastor Matt preaches all about baptism.Welcome to Heights Baptist Church! Connect with us at heightschurch.org/connect

https://www.maynardvillefellowship.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/Cooke-3-8-26.mp3 Last week Pastor Matt showed how the power of multiplication enabled the apostles and the early church to change the world so quickly. Godly men became examples for others to imitate, and those who followed their example became examples themselves. As that life-on-life discipleship continued, the gospel “sounded forth” not only in Macedonia and Achaia, but in “every place.” Through the power of multiplication, the influence of faithful Christians reached far beyond the places the apostles themselves had ever gone. This week, Pastor Matt explains an essential qualification: Christianity is not a Lone Ranger faith. God is not simply multiplying isolated believers, but building one unified body made up of many members with different gifts and callings. In Romans 12:3–8, we see that Christians are called to a right view of themselves, a right view of others, and faithful cooperation within the body as together we labor to disciple the nations.

harvestva

Exploring the power behind our saving faith and our responsibility to walk out lovingkindness within the Church. - Thank you for joining us. Please submit any questions or requests to: Pastor Matt's email: mgrimm@cstoneepc.com Thadd's email: thadd@truth316.com Planted intro/outro: Straight Through by Groove Bakery | https://groovebakery.com Music promoted by https://www.free-stock-music.com Attribution-NoDerivatives 4.0 International (CC BY-ND 4.0) https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nd/4.0/ 

Today Pastor Matt begins our new sermon series, called FORGED, during which we will examine the process of taking raw material and changing it into something that can be used for a practical purpose.  This is how we become more like Jesus -- he takes us and shapes us, changes us, to be more like Him.  Pastor Matt will teach us about the process of refinement, how -- like iron ore -- we can turn into something God can use for His kingdom.  Join us at 10a and see how you can be refined! —ACC Website: http://www.arundelcc.org/Give Online: https://arundelcc.churchcenter.com/giving---CCLI License #1588415

Pastor Matt continues our "Altered" series with today's message, The Power of Quiet Contentment. We will learn how King David experienced contentment like a weaned baby, and how we can, too.  —ACC Website: http://www.arundelcc.org/Give Online: https://arundelcc.churchcenter.com/giving---CCLI License #1588415

Sunday March 1, 2026:  Pastor Matt continues in the parables with a sober, hope-filled call to tenderness through the parable of the sower and the soil.The seed is not the issue. The sower is not the issue. The difference is soil.In this message, we let Jesus evaluate the conditions of the heart, where it has grown hardened, stayed shallow, become crowded, or remained receptive. These are not labels for different types of believers. They are heart postures that can surface in any of us in different seasons  .Maturity is not intensity sustained over time. It is tenderness sustained over time.This is a call to own the yard without owning the weeds. To uproot bitterness before it poisons the soil. To refuse self-protection that chokes future fruit. To welcome grace that tills the ground gently so the Kingdom can multiply.The seed is alive. The inheritance is secure. The question is soil.

We continue in our series on Elisha and were encouraged this week to pick up our shovels and keep digging because we serve a God of the suddenly.

Jenna and Pastor Matt go deeper into 2 Corinthians 2:14–3:6, discussing the paradox of feeling insufficient while trusting that our sufficiency comes from God. What does it mean to be the aroma of Christ and live as gospel servants in everyday life? Scripture: 2 Corinthians 2:14–3:6

Nobody likes to be wrong, but the Bible says that we have all fallen short of God's standard. How do we draw close to a holy God? Pastor Matt talks repentance in this week's installment of Back to Basics.

A message from Pastor Matt!

2-15-26

02-22-26

Join us as we begin our Spring Practice on Confession. Pastor Matt will discuss what confession looks like and how it's been lost in so many churches.

Long before believers were called “Christians,” they were known as People of the Way—followers of Jesus whose lives reflected His movement in the world. This series walks through the book of Acts, exploring how the early church lived, served, and shared the gospel in a changing world. As we study their story, we're challenged to rediscover what it means to be the church today—faithful, united, and always on the move.

WEEK 321 | PASTOR MATT SCOTT

In this message from the series Resist the Drift, couples are invited to rediscover the life‑giving wells of their relationship. Pastor Matt reminds us that every marriage faces dry seasons, but God calls us to return to the sources of love, faith, and commitment that once nourished us. Just as Isaac reopened the wells his father once dug and persisted in clearing out the debris that blocked his wells, couples are encouraged to remove the distractions and habits that hinder connection. In doing so, God leads them to a spacious place of renewed intimacy. This sermon offers a gentle but powerful call to trust God to refresh what feels empty and to breathe new life into the covenant of marriage.

Pastor Matt continues our sermon series with a message from Matthew 5.

Miracles of Jesus Week 2 | Pastor Matt Engle | Sunday, March 1, 2026

In this special anniversary service, Pastor Matt reflects on Joshua 3–4 and the “stones of remembrance.” As we celebrate six years as a church and the close of 40 Days of Prayer and Fasting, we share stories of healing, answered prayer, and God's faithfulness among us — and pray over the Gearharts as they prepare to plant a new church in Tremont.When we remember what God has done, it gives us courage for what's ahead.

harvestva

Patience isn't passive — it's powerful.In this message from our Fruit of the Spirit series, Pastor Matt shares how patience is the pathway to maturity. Through Scripture, we're reminded to trust God in the waiting, endure through trials, and choose forgiveness even when it's hard.The waiting isn't wasted. God is working.

Refined through fire and waiting, Pastor Matt Cruz shows how God uses pressure to shape faith, build endurance, and anchor life in Christ.

In Week 7 of our Familiar Stranger series, Pastor Matt Piland addresses a vital question: How do we actually live out the life God has called us to? Many of us treat our faith like a car loan—believing Jesus made the "down payment" on the cross, but that it's now our job to sustain the monthly payments through sheer willpower and "trying harder." Drawing from Galatians 5, Pastor Matt breaks down the difference between legalism and true freedom in Christ. Following Jesus isn't about a factory-style production of "being good"; it's about a garden-style growth that comes through the Holy Spirit. If you've been feeling spiritually exhausted by your own human effort, this message is a call to stop trying to maintain in the flesh what was only ever meant to be completed by the Holy Spirit.

Pastor Matt continues the series about having unshakable marriages.

Listen as Pastor Matt walks through Genesis 17 and shows how Abraham longed for God to fulfill His promises through Abraham's own past efforts—efforts he had grown to trust and love—but which ultimately fell short of God's greater plan. This passage reminds us that the Christian life is not anchored in our past failures or successes, but in the future hope we have in Christ and the promises He alone fulfills.

We kicked off our new series: Elisha - The Making of a Miracle Worker this week. We are excited to see all that God has in store for us with this series!

In this message from John 3-4, Pastor Matt explores two contrasting encounters with Jesus that John deliberately placed back-to-back. First, we meet Nicodemus, a respected Pharisee and ruler of the Jews who came to Jesus under cover of darkness. Despite his religious credentials and moral uprightness, Jesus told him he must be born again - showing that being religious isn't the same as being reborn, and that being good isn't good enough for salvation. The second encounter features the woman at the well, a Samaritan with a broken past who had five husbands and was living with a man who wasn't her husband. Jesus broke multiple social barriers to meet her at noon - crossing gender, ethnic, and moral boundaries that Jewish rabbis typically wouldn't cross. Unlike Nicodemus who left still processing, she was immediately transformed and ran to tell her whole town about Jesus. Pastor Matt uses a detailed chart to compare these encounters, showing how Jesus approached each person differently based on their needs - directly confronting Nicodemus's pride while gently meeting the woman's shame with grace. The central message is that everyone, regardless of background, needs the same Savior. Whether we're hindered by pride (like Nicodemus) or paralyzed by our past (like the woman), Jesus meets us where we are but doesn't leave us there. Pastor Matt challenges everyone to identify what's preventing them from moving forward with Jesus and to respond personally to His invitation for new life.

In this episode, Jay and Chris share a couple of their book recommendations before playing a recording of "Pastor Matt's Library" from our Fall Small Group Leader Gathering. Listen in for the first time or for a reminder of some good books you may be interested in reading.Send a textThanks for listening to the Great Groups Podcast. Please visit GreatGroups.org for a list of all our episodes.We'd love to hear from you! Click here for our contact form. Jay Gordon is the Small Groups Minister at The Church at Brook Hills in Birmingham, Alabama, USA. Chris Amaro is an IT professional and serves as a Small Group Leader and Elder at Brook Hills. Lifetime Show Notes Brook Hills Pages: The Church at Brook Hills, Birmingham, Alabama, USA Small Group Leader Resources Page Small Group Discipleship Resources Small Groups @ Brook Hills

Long before believers were called “Christians,” they were known as People of the Way—followers of Jesus whose lives reflected His movement in the world. This series walks through the book of Acts, exploring how the early church lived, served, and shared the gospel in a changing world. As we study their story, we're challenged to rediscover what it means to be the church today—faithful, united, and always on the move.

February 22nd, 2026 | No Other Gospel | Galatians 1:6-9In this urgent message from our No Other Gospel series, Pastor Matt Darby takes us to Epistle to the Galatians 1:6–9 and delivers a clear warning for the church today: don't turn to a different gospel.Galatians reads like a spiritual tornado warning. Paul skips the pleasantries because something dangerous is brewing. The believers were drifting—not by rejecting Jesus outright, but by subtly adding to Him. And that's where the danger lies.At the heart of this message is a powerful truth:Hold fast to the true Gospel, and you hold fast to Jesus.Turn from the Gospel, and you turn from Him.There is no other Gospel because there is no other Savior.Pastor Matt reminds us that the Gospel is not merely information about Jesus—it is the announcement of what Jesus has done. The Gospel is historical, substitutionary, complete, and received as a gift. It is the good news that Jesus Christ lived the life we couldn't live, died in our place, rose in victory, and now offers full forgiveness and right standing with God by grace alone through faith alone.But the Galatians were being tempted by a “Jesus-plus” gospel—Jesus plus law, plus works, plus religious performance. And that same temptation still confronts us today.This episode exposes modern “Jesus-plus” distortions, including:Jesus + good worksJesus + church activityJesus + moral improvementJesus + personal effort to stay savedWhen we begin trusting our performance to secure or maintain our salvation, we drift from grace. And as Paul makes clear, to distort the Gospel is not a small theological tweak—it's spiritual disaster.With clarity and pastoral urgency, Pastor Matt explains why even apostles or angels are not the authority—the Gospel is. Any message that adds to Christ alone ultimately places us under condemnation rather than freedom.In the true Gospel, Jesus received the curse.In every false gospel, we remain under it.This message is both a warning and an invitation: stop trying to earn what God freely gives. Grace is not something you graduate from—it's something you go deeper into.Kingdom math is simple:Jesus + Nothing = EverythingJesus + Anything = NothingThere are only two options—life in Christ alone or condemnation in everything else. Hold fast to the true Gospel. Hold fast to Jesus.Do you know JESUS? ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.nbgilmer.org/do-you-know-jesus⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Need PRAYER? ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.nbgilmer.org/pray⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Support through GIVING: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.nbbctx.org/giving⁠

Pastor Matt Sturdivant explored John chapter 2, highlighting two key scenes that reveal Jesus' transformative mission. At the wedding in Cana, Jesus turned water into wine, demonstrating that He brings something entirely new rather than just improving what exists. Using the stone purification jars representing the old system, Jesus showed He offers heart transformation, not mere behavior modification. Many believers settle for "water level Christianity" that's safe and shallow, when Jesus offers a "good wine level life" full of joy, power, and Spirit-led living. Significantly, this first miracle happened at an ordinary celebration, showing Jesus cares about every part of our lives - family, work, stress, and even our messes. The second scene, Jesus cleansing the temple, revealed His confrontation with corrupted worship. What was meant to be a house of prayer had become a religious Marketplace exploiting worshipers. Jesus wasn't just cleaning a building but declaring a shift - He Himself would become the meeting place between God and humanity. After the cross, the temple curtain was torn from top to bottom, removing the barrier between God and people. Pastor Matt concluded with four applications: stop settling for water Christianity, invite Jesus into ordinary life, let Him flip tables in corrupted areas, and build life on the risen Jesus rather than religious systems. The extended podcast discussion clarified that John 2 doesn't license indulgence in alcohol or anger, but calls for submitting all freedoms to Christ's lordship.

A message from Pastor Matt!

Part of the "God And Work" series. If you're new to King's, make sure to text "Kings" to 94000. We'd love to hear from you! Head to kings.news for upcoming events, sermon schedules, and current announcements! Twitter | Facebook | Instagram | YouTube | kingschurchoh.com