Great Faith in an Unlikely PersonMatthew 15:21-28“Then Jesus said to her, “O woman, your faith is great; it shall be done for you as you wish.”When we read the story of the Syrophoenician woman, we ar...  Read More

Changing the HeartMatthew 15:10-20“But the things that proceed out of the mouth come from the heart, and those defile the man.”We are always looking for natural solutions to spiritual problems.  The m...  Read More

The Danger of Misguided FaithMatthew 15:19“But in vain do they worship me, teaching as doctrines the precepts of men.”With the prevalence of information on the internet, it is easy to become distracte...  Read More

Jesus Calms the Storm Matthew 14:22-36“When they got into the boat, the wind stopped.”It is one thing when a landlubber becomes fearful of the waves but another when the old salties become terrified. ...  Read More

The Feeding of the Five ThousandMathew 14:13-21“He blessed the food and breaking the loaves he gave…and they ate and were satisfied.”The story of Christ miraculously taking a boy's lunch and turning i...  Read More

Standing for the truth.Matthew 14:1-12“For John had been saying to him, “It is not lawful for you to have her.”The Herodian family was notorious for their evil and brutality.  Herod the Great (37-4 B....  Read More

A Warning and a RejectionMatthew 13:47-57“And so it will be at the end of the age; the angels will come forth and take out the wicked from among the righteous, and throw them into the furnace of fire;...  Read More

The Value Structure of the KingdomMatthew 13:44-46“And upon finding one pearl of great value, he went and sold all that he had and bout it.”The following two parables present a perplexing question:  W...  Read More

The Growth of the GospelMatthew 13:31-35.“This is smaller than all other seeds, but when it is fully grown, it is larger than the garden plants and becomes a tree.”The parable of the Mustard seed and ...  Read More

The Parable of the Wheat and the Tares: The Danger of Premature JudgmentMatthew 13:24-30, 36-43“Allow both to grow together until the harvest and in the time of the harvest, I will say to the reapers,...  Read More

Faith and UnderstandingMatthew 13:10-17“Therefore I speak to them in parables; because while seeing they do not see, and while hearing they do not hear, nor do they understand.”The disciples were conf...  Read More

Preparing for SundayMatthew 13:1-9, 18-23.“He who has ears, let him hear.”When we come to church, we expect that the pastor has prepared a message to proclaim.  This preparation involves carefully stu...  Read More