Matthew 9:1-42 – The Lord of the Harvest A plentiful harvest “the harvest is plentiful but the workers are few. Ask the Lord of the harvest so send workers into his harvest” 1) God’s message and authority (v 1-15) “The Kingdom of heaven has come near”. Two restrictions Firstly … the lost sheep of Israel. Secondly, they cannot take anything with them.…
Opposition To Christ – Matthew 9:1-38 Jesus … is he just a great guy? Firstly – He has a great family genealogy. Secondly – Jesus had God speak at both his birth and his baptism. Thirdly – He could run rings around the religious leaders in his understanding of God’s word and law. Everyone likes a ‘Jesus who made my life better…
Matthew 8 – True Faith The context of Matthew 8 – Chapters 5-7: ‘the sermon on the mount’ – True or false disciples, building houses on rock or sand Chapters 8-9 – teaching in action: how people are responding to Jesus Chapter 10: the call for ministry workers One thing to notice: Jesus’ movement in the passage A second thing: the response.…
Exposing Our Blind Spots – Do What Comes Naturally Born that way? What the bible says 2 Sam 11 … King David followed his natural desires 2 Sam 12 … confronted with his gross sin His response to the whole situation in Psalm 51 Ps 51:5, “Surely I was sinful at birth, sinful from the time my mother conceived me”. Should they…
Exposing Our Blind Spots – Suffering Is Bad A choice to suffer Jesus and suffering Mark 8:31 … must suffer many things Mark 8:34 “…deny yourself, take up your cross and follow him. For us in the west verse 38 … he will be ashamed of us when he returns to judge us. So, how have we ended up with such a…
The Misconception: “Godliness is Heterosexuality” Why this is important for us to think about: – Even though it may not be our issue, we might unwittingly create a painful environment for our brothers and sisters in Christ. What the belief gets right: – Sexual purity is important What the belief gets wrong: – The way we treat different sins – The way…
Exposing Our Blind Spots – Male = Female Genesis 2:15-25 Galatians 3:26-4:7 (Not Recorded) Climbing a cliff with an overhang Our potential blind spot – male = female. Background Definitions Male = someone with an X and a Y chromosome Female = someone with two X chromosomes Are both genders equal? Gen 1:27, “So God created mankind in his own image, in…
Summer Series – Exposing Our Blind Spots – Intimacy = Sex How many friends do you have? … who are your friends who know you intimately? The problem is … Our society has linked intimacy and sex as the same thing. – 2 Samuel 1, “I grieve you Jonathan my brother, you were very dear to me. You love for me was…
If It Makes Me Happy “If it makes you happy…” What shape should the Christian life take? – Doesn’t God want me to be happy? – Where’s the line between caring for ourselves and indulging ourselves? – Jesus’ approach: Hebrews 12:2 Loving God, loving God’s law – Psalm 19:7-9… God’s law reveals his heart – Psalm 19:10-11… Joy is not in whatever…
Exposing Our Blind Spots – The Model Family Blind spots … adopt unhelpful and unbiblical thinking that impacts how people understand what it means to be a follower of Jesus. The average family! Old & New Testament changes OT … family and children are tied to covenant blessings. NT … getting married and having a large family is still good but it…