Sermon Series: The Book of Matthew
The videos for this sermon series appear in chronological order.
Below is the first video of the series. For the latest sermon, scroll down to the bottom.
Introduction
Matthew, the first book in the New Testament, is an inspired, perfectly fit bridge between the Old Testament and the New Testament. It is the perfect bridge because its focus is Christ Jesus and His undeniable connection to the Old Testament prophecies about the Messiah and indisputable claim to the Davidic throne. The author, Matthew demonstrated in five significant ways that Jesus is The Christ, The King of Kings and Lord of Lords. Let us bow our heads and hearts and our knees as we prepare to passionately, and fully receive The King of Kings and Lord of Lords into our lives.
January 22, 2023
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The Voice of One Crying in the Wilderness
The Old Testament prophet Isaiah wrote in Isaiah 40:3, “The voice of one crying in the wilderness, make ready the way of the Lord, make His paths straight!” Who is this voice crying in the wilderness?
Matthew writing under the inspiration of God identifies the voice as John the Baptist, the cousin of Jesus. This wild and wooly man lived in the desert and wore clothing made of camel’s hair and a leather belt around his waist. He also ate locusts and wild honey for food. Jesus said of John, “truly I say to you, among those born of women there has not arisen anyone greater than John the Baptist!”
What was it that so impressed Jesus with John the Baptist? Let us take the next few minutes and explore the life of John the Baptist and hopefully come away with some life changing observations. Turn in your Bibles to Matthew 3: 1-17
January 29, 2023
Overcoming Temptation
Temptation is all around us. Each of us is confronted with it on a daily basis. Temptation comes in all shapes and sizes. In the food category, it can be as small as skittles or as large as an all you can eat buffet. In relationships, God has spelled out clearly that marital intimacy is a beautiful gift reserved only for a man and a woman in holy matrimony. However, daily people are tempted to participate in this marital intimacy outside its God given context of marriage. Folks, Satan has been around a long time and has become quite skilled in the temptation business. He goes after us from every angle. John discusses this in I John 2:5-17 where he makes us aware that Satan tempts us in three broad areas: 1) The lust of the flesh, 2) The lust of the eyes, and 3) The boastful pride of life.
Jesus, The Christ was “tempted in all things as we are, yet without sin.” (Hebrews 4:15b) Matthew records for us one of the instances when Christ was tempted by Satan. Matthew records Christ’s temptation to further demonstrate that Jesus is The Christ The King of Kings and Lord of Lords. In essence, he is saying that the very fact that Jesus was tempted and yet never sinned points to His special exalted position. After all He did something that none of us can do…never sin! This instructive passage is found in Matthew 4:1-11. Let’s make some observations…Do a little interpretation…And Lord willing discover some timeless truths we can apply to our lives today on how to overcome temptation
February 5, 2023
Overcoming Temptation – Part 2
February 12, 2023
The Beatitudes – Part 1
We now begin to explore the first discourse of Christ in Matthew called the Sermon on the Mount. (chapters 5-7) Remember this is the first of five discourses or teachings presented by Christ in Matthew. The other four are the sending forth of the apostles (chapter 10), parables of the kingdom (chapter 13), teaching on kingdom relationships (chapter 18), and the Olivet Discourse (chapters 24, 25).
Some non-evangelical scholars have argued that one must live the
tenets of the Sermon on the Mount in order to be saved. In other
words, they espouse a works for salvation position. Nothing could be
farther from the truth of God’s word. According to over 160 passages
in the New Testament, a person is saved by grace through faith apart
from works. This is succinctly stated in Ephesians 2:8, 9 where we
read, “For by grace you have been saved through faith; and that not of
yourselves, it is the gift of god; not as a result of works, so that no one
may boast”.
Another position stated by hyper-dispensationalists is that the Sermon
on the Mount does not apply to us today. They say it was only for
Jews being offered the Kingdom at that time. However, most
evangelical scholars believe it is applicable for us today. Truth be
told, even a casual reading of this great sermon by Christ reveals that
without the grace of God, it is impossible to follow each instruction. I
can’t help but think that Matthew, by including this material in his
book, was once again saying to his readers, “look Jesus is not just a
man. He is The Messiah, The King of Kings and Lord of Lords”.
After all, Christ perfectly lived every word of His sermon. Turn in
your Bibles to Matthew 5: 1-12.
February 19, 2023
The Beatitudes – Part 2
February 26, 2023
The Beatitudes – Part 3
March 5, 2023
Get It Out of the Saltshaker and Shine!
In Matthew 5:13-16 Jesus likened us as Christians to salt and light. What is it about salt and light that led Jesus to compare us to them? One thing is for sure, salt left in the saltshaker and light turned off does no one any good.
Therefore, we need to get it out of the saltshaker and shine!
Pastor Jeff Nyberg, Ph.D.
March 19, 2023
You’ve Heard it Said, But I Say to You..
We now move to a section in the Sermon on the Mount which contains some very hard sayings. In Matthew 5:21-48, Jesus Christ The King of Kings and Lord of Lords definitely goes counter culture. In essence, He takes the law and puts it on steroids. He contrasts the outward fulfillment of the law with the inner motivation of the heart. He makes it very clear that although the Scribes and Pharisees and people in general simply look at the outward. God looks at the heart or the inward part of man.
In the verse that comes right before this section, Jesus states, “for I say to you that unless your righteousness surpasses that of the scribes and Pharisees, you will not enter the Kingdom of heaven.” You can imagine the questions that were beginning to form in the crowd’s minds after Jesus made this bold statement. I am sure on everybody’s mind would be, if the scribes and Pharisees won’t make it, what hope do I have? After all, the scribes and Pharisees keep the law outwardly better than anyone else.
Specifically, He addresses murder, adultery, divorce, oath taking, retaliation, and hating your enemy. Let’s take the next few minutes and address what the law said about these topics, and more importantly, address what Jesus said about them. Turn in your Bibles to Matthew 5:21-48.
March 26, 2023
Behold, the Lamb of God!
A Palm Sunday Message
April 2, 2023
He is Risen! Let Us Rise Up
He is not here, for He has risen, just as He said.
Come, see the place where He was lying. Today we celebrate the resurrection of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. This is the day that the followers of God shifted their day of worship from Saturday to Sunday in honor of their risen Savior.
Easter Sunday is the most hope filled and positive day of the year because it is the very foundation of our Christian faith. So, this Easter Let Us Rise Up!
April 9th, 2023
Prayer That Gets Results
As we continue our series in Matthew, we come to a very familiar passage…. The Lord’s Prayer. For centuries this prayer has been recited in a liturgical way at weddings, funerals, and church services. However, it is so much more than just a nice sounding group of words. The Lord’s Prayer is really a guide to lead us into prayer that gets results.
April 16, 2023
Prayer That Gets Results – Part 2
April 23, 2023
Why Worry?
Worry is fear’s extravagance. It extracts interest on trouble before it comes due. It constantly drains the energy God gives us to face daily problems and to fulfill our many responsibilities. It is therefore a sinful waste. As we continue our sermon series in the book of Matthew we explore Jesus’ teaching on the utter futility of worry. More specifically, we hope to extract practical ways to overcome our tendency to worry. Turn in your bibles to Matthew 6: 25-34
April 30, 2023
Who Made You Judge and Jury?
We have all fallen into the trap at one time or another of being
negative or critical of another person. Wrongfully we set ourselves
up as not only another person’s judge but also their jury. In this
message, we will explore the topic of loving not judging. More
specifically, we will find out what Jesus says on this subject.
Although He delivered this message 2000 years ago it is still relevant
for us today. Turn in your Bibles to the Book of Matthew, chapter
seven and verses one through six.
May 14, 2023
Two Ways, Two Trees, Two Professions, and Two Foundations
Jesus, the King of Kings and Lord of Lords, completes His Sermon on the Mount with an appeal for people to make a choice. He of course wants them to choose Him as their Lord and Savior. He knows if they choose Him and his teachings, to base their lives on, it will lead to blessings, purpose, and meaning in life. If they reject Him, it will lead to sadness and ultimately hell. Turn in your Bibles to these last verses of the Sermon on the Mount, Matthew 7: 13-29.
May 21, 2023
Jesus Wants Us To…
A few years ago there was a Christian slogan that was
popularized, “what would Jesus do?” In today’s message
we will focus on what Jesus wants us to do. Turn in your
Bibles to Matthew 9:35-38.
June 25, 2023
Hundred-Fold Christians
In Matthew 13 Jesus began speaking in parables to the crowd. A
parable makes a comparission between a known truth and an
unknown truth. It comes from two Greek words, “para” and
“ballo” which literally mean to throw along side of. The crowds
Jesus was speaking to were Jews who were very familiar with
farming. In fact, the text records that Jesus had just left the house
and went outside to the seashore and the crowds gathered around
him. Everyone would have been able to see the surrounding farm
fields. Perhaps in one field there was even a farmer sowing seed.
Jesus spoke about a farmer sowing or planting seed on four
different types of soil. He further described the different results.
Only the good soil produced a crop. The crop was described as,
“some a hundred-fold, some sixty and some thirty.” Today’s
message is about maximizing crop production for Christ. There
are 9 billion people on planet earth and around 6 billion do not
have a personal relationship with Christ. As Christians, we know
the end result for those who have not received Christ. It is
separation from God in hell for all eternity. How can we mazimize
our spiritual productivity to the point where we are hundred fold
Christians?
July 9, 2023
Walking on Water
When I was a child in Sunday School, I heard the biblical story about
Jesus and Peter walking on water. I remember thinking how neat it
would be to actually walk on water. I even tried it several times but with
no success. The other kids just laughed at me. Even though I was not
able to walk on water, I certainly believed and never doubted that Jesus
and Peter did. Unfortunately, my belief was experientially more like
unbelief. I was not allowing the powerful timeless truths of this true
account to permeate my consciousness and actions.
The truth is that God, our Divine Creator, has endowed each of us with
the seeds of greatness. We have been created in the very image of God.
This image has nothing to do with the color of our skin, who our parents
are, our so called IQ, whether we are tall or short, fat or thin, rich or
poor, famous or unknown. In the next few minutes why don’t we
investigate Matthew 14: 22-33 and discover Christ’s prescription for
how we too can walk on water. How Can I Walk On Water?
July 16, 2023
Healing and Feeding Thousands
July 23, 2023
The Power of Forgiveness
Every one of us has been hurt by another person. It starts with
someone offending us by what they say or don’t say, or by what
they do or don’t do. This offense causes hurt or leads to bitterness
… which leads to wrath … which leads to malice. Ultimately, all
of this leads to loss of sleep and fractured relationships. This is the
very opposite of what Christ, our Creator wants for us. He wants
us experiencing the abundant Christian life. He wants us to enjoy
strong, positive, healthy relationships. In Matthew 18: 21 – 35 and
other passages, Jesus teaches us how to strengthen our relational
health through forgiveness.
July 30, 2023
The Greatest and Second Commandment
The most important part of a building is its foundation. If the foundation is solid, the building will stand.
The same can be said about relationships. Relationships will stand up in difficult times if they are well founded. In a nutshell, the foundation for building positive relationships is love. Love for God, self and others.
This love for God, self and others is found in the greatest and second greatest commandments.
Matthew 22:36-40
36 “Teacher, which is the great commandment in the Law?”
37 And He said to him, “‘YOU SHALL LOVE THE LORD YOUR GOD WITH ALL YOUR HEART, AND WITH ALL YOUR SOUL, AND WITH ALL YOUR MIND.’
38 “This is the great and foremost commandment.
39 “The second is like it, ‘YOU SHALL LOVE YOUR NEIGHBOR AS YOURSELF.’
40 “On these two commandments depend the whole Law and the Prophets.”
August 20, 2023
The Greatest and Second Commandment – part 2
August 27, 2023
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