Matthew 19 initially appears to address marriage, divorce, singleness, and parenthood. However, its message reaches beyond these topics. When we read the Bible, we often seek solutions for others' sins. Yet, God's word is meant to work within us and draw us into a deeper, unhindered relationship with Him. 

After 25 years of waiting, Abraham was finally blessed with the son God had promised him. But years later, the Lord commanded him to take his only son and offer him as a sacrifice. At the last minute, the Lord stopped Abraham. Isaac was spared. And God provided them with a sacrifice. 

This account in Genesis 22 wasn’t just about Abraham or Isaac. It points to another Father and another Son. And the two of them went to the same mountain. But this time, the knife didn’t stop. And that changed everything.

Listen to our study from Genesis 22 as we considered the resurrection of Jesus Christ and the hope that this new reality offers to whosoever would believe.

Join us for a special Good Friday worship service on April 3rd at 7pm as we remember the importance of the death of Jesus. Then join us at 10am on Sunday, April 5th as we celebrate His resurrection.

In Matthew 18, Jesus shares two parables. Between these parables, He shares instructions for what to do if another believer wrongs you. The first parable (The Parable of the Lost Sheep) expands our understanding of Jesus’ instruction on how to respond to another believer who sins against you. Too commonly, that instruction is viewed as an impersonal policy to prove our point or to deal with difficult people. It’s easy to look at what Jesus says to achieve our own ends, prove our point, or dismiss difficult people.

But Jesus would never tell us to do something selfish. He wants us to understand that the goal is not to win the argument. The goal is to win the person. The goal is to find the person who is straying, who's prone to wander, and to invite them back. Jesus invites us to this ministry of reconciliation.

This passage calls us to humility and a broken heart for those who wander, not confrontation or escalation. True love motivates us to call others back to the right path and to partner with them discreetly in restoration. Even if they refuse, we continue to pray, always seeking their return. The main message is clear: pursue reconciliation with humility and love.

​In the middle of Matthew 18, Jesus gives us instructions on how to handle situations when another believer sins against us. When read in isolation, it may appear like it’s an impersonal policy to prove your point or a procedure to win an argument. Some might see it as a step-by-step guide to remove difficult people from their lives or church.

But is that the heart of this passage? Is that what Jesus intended us to put into practice? 

When we consider this passage in the context of the whole chapter, things begin to make more sense. On Sunday, we studied the entirety of Matthew 18 in the context of dealing with another believer who has sinned against us. Watch our study as we learn from Jesus about what to do when another believer has wronged us.

In the seemingly odd passage of Matthew 17:24-27, Peter is questioned by the religious leadership about whether Jesus pays the temple tax. Knowing this had happened, Jesus talks with Peter about it, and in this conversation, we see four characteristics of the Son of God:

The freedom of the Son – He was under no obligation to pay the tax.

The voluntary submission of the Son – Nevertheless, to not cause offense, He consented to pay.

The majesty of the Son – His command to Peter (a professional fisherman) to drop a line into the lake was peculiar, but he obeyed.

The miraculous personal provision of the Son – The coin found in the fish that was caught was sufficient for both Peter and Jesus.

This was not just a story about a fish and a coin. It was personal and powerful—especially for Peter. In his letter, Peter would later write to the church, “For you know that you were not redeemed with corruptible things, like silver or gold, from your aimless conduct received by tradition from your fathers, but with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot.” (1 Peter 1:18-19)

The life of Jesus was paid on your behalf so that you could enjoy fellowship with God forever! That can start today! Simply confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead. The Bible says that if you do this, you will be saved (Romans 10:9). Repent (turn away from) your sin and ask God for forgiveness. Believe that Jesus died for your sins and that God raised Him to life. Trust Him as your Savior and follow Him as the Lord of your life.

Over and over, God has proven Himself faithful to give insight and understanding as we simply commit to wrestling with Him. Like Jacob in his actual wrestling match with the Lord, we can say, “I’m not going to let you go until You bless me” as we wrestle with Him through His word. We can say, “I’m not letting this passage go, Lord, until you bless me and give me insight and understanding.” And then, it can be our glory to search those things out as we wrestle with Him (see Proverbs 25:2).

Watch our study of Matthew 17:24-27 as we wrestled with the Lord about the topics of death and…taxes?

As they walked with Jesus, the apostles argued about which of them was the greatest. Jesus was out of earshot yet still knew what they were discussing. When they arrived, Jesus patiently and graciously called them to Himself to teach them about what makes someone great.

Throughout His ministry, Jesus taught by example. True greatness is found in being a servant and serving others, especially those who have no ability to serve you back or can benefit you in any way. 

To illustrate His point, Jesus places a child before them. In those days, children were considered just above property (they were to be seen and not heard). Yet even today, children are needy and need constant attention. They have no ability to bless you back. They can’t make you important. They were the “least of these”.

Jesus taught that true greatness is found in serving the “least of these.” It’s making others like this feel as though they are the most important person. Because they truly are. True greatness is not found in power or position. It’s found in looking into the eyes of those who can do nothing for you and serving them as if you were serving Jesus Himself.