Date: 7/15/2018 Title: The Truth of the Resurrection Speaker: Pastor Darryl J. Stalter Scripture: Matthew 22:26-33
Death. This is something we all unfortunately must face. I am not just talking about the death of celebrities, or the death of our loved ones. I am talking about that day we must all face. No one is exempt. The question is how do we face it. Some face it in fear, others in desperate surrender. Yet others face it not with trepidation, but faith in a loving God. In Matthew 22 Jesus reminds us that for the believer death is not the end. He reminds us that resurrection life is at the core of the Bible and the very nature of God.
Date: 7/8/2018 Title: Government and the Follower of Christ Speaker: Pastor Darryl J. Stalter Scripture: Matthew 22:15-22
In our tense overly critical and sensitive culture it has become fashionable to dissolve friendships over political affiliation. It has become common place to excuse away violence and hate based upon one’s stance on a policy issue, or who they may support. Unfortunately, this has also crept into the church. Where we mistakenly elevate political divisions and political solutions to the level of doctrine and savior. In Matthew 22 Jesus reminds us that followers of Christ are to be cautious of political entanglements. While we are called to participate in and submit to government in a way that glorifies God, we must remember that we belong to a greater kingdom with the greatest king.
Date: 7/1/2018 Title: God’s Invitation Speaker: Pastor Darryl J. Stalter Scripture: Matthew 22:1-14
God invites us into a relationship with him. He says come. And many of us do not. He invites us to join him in his kingdom, to be both a part of it and a part of growing it and many of us do not. In Matthew 22 Jesus is compares God’s invitation to that of a wedding invitation of a king, the rejection of which has serious and eternal consequences.
Date: 6/24/2018 Title: Corner Stone Speaker: Pastor George Gracie Scripture: Matthew 21:23-32
The cornerstone is the most important part of any building project. It sets the line for the rest of the walls. In Matthew 21 Jesus declares that He is God’s cornerstone for His kingdom. This cornerstone was rejected by the chief priests and the pharisees. We need to be careful that we to do not reject this cornerstone.
Date: 6/17/2018 Title: Who Would You Say? Speaker: Pastor George Gracie Scripture: Matthew 21:23-32
Authority. What authority do you follow? In Matthew 21 Jesus reminds us that God should be our authority and that we should follow him not only in word, but in deed.
Date: 6/10/2018 Title: The Lesson of the Fig Tree Speaker: Pastor George Gracie Scripture: Matthew 21:18-22
By its very nature a fig tree is to bear fruit. However, once it stops bearing fruit it stops being what it has been intended. Likewise, Matthew 21 reminds us that God has made his people to bear his fruit.
Date: 6/3/2018 Title: Temple Encounter Speaker: Pastor George Gracie Scripture: Matthew 21:12-17
The Temple was to be a place of healing and worship, a place where people would be able to come close to God. However, the Jews had turned it into a commercial venture. In Matthew 21 Jesus calls us to again make his Temple a place of healing, praise, and worship.
Date: 5/27/2018 Title: The Triumphal Entry Speaker: Pastor George Gracie Scripture: Matthew 21:1-11
Jesus came to Jerusalem riding on a donkey, fulfilling the Bible’s prophecy of the Messiah. Although the people of Jerusalem would initially praise him as such, one week latter they would reject him and demand his death because he did not come in a way they expected the Messiah to come. The Triumphal Entry reminds us that not only is Jesus Messiah, but also reminds us that we need to respond to that truth.
Date: 5/20/2018 Title: Insatiable Appetite Speaker: Pastor George Gracie Scripture: Joshua 1
We often find ourselves unsatisfied and unfulfilled. The reason is that we have an appetite for the wrong things, those things that will not satisfy our true hunger. We can only truly be fulfilled when having an insatiable appetite for God and his Word.
Date: 5/13/2018 Title: Living a Life of True Greatness Speaker: Pastor Darryl J. Stalter Scripture: Matthew 20:17-34
A life of true greatness. This is something we all truly desire, but often seems to slip from our grasp. God’s desire is for us to live lives of greatness, but greatness as He defines it. In Matthew 20 Jesus challenges us to realign our idea of greatness to God’s ideal: greatness that is eternal rather than temporal.
