 What would you do if you had all power and all authority? Would you choose to lay down your life? Would you choose to pick it up again? Would you want to share that power and authority with others who abandoned you at your darkest moments? Would you be willing to be a suffering servant so that others might live?
And yet, this is what Jesus did. With all power and all authority, He chose to lay down His life to save wretched people like us. Then He picks up His life again and entrusts us with His message so that others might pass from death to life. As our study of the Gospel of Matthew draws to a close, we consider the power and authority Jesus had and what He chose to do with them, so that we might partner with Him in His mission. In Matthew 27, we observe God's sovereignty and humanity's responsibility as we approach the cross at Calvary. We see God’s sovereignty woven into what transpired perfectly and purposefully for all of mankind. We also see the responsibility humanity had for the death of Jesus–those who were at Golgotha, and even us today–for we must acknowledge that our sin and Jesus’ love kept Him on the cross until the work of salvation was finished.
Watch our study of Matthew 27:1-54 as we humbly consider God’s predetermined purpose and plan to offer up His one and only Son, who was arrested, beaten, mocked, crucified, and ultimately killed at the hands of sinful men. There are two truths in the Scriptures that we should hold on to — like two sides of a coin. One truth is found in John 15:15, where Jesus said, “Apart from Me, you can do nothing.” The other truth is found in Philippians 4:13, where Paul writes, “I can do all things through Christ who gives me strength.”
Peter lived in John 15:5. He was a mix of hubris, pride, and irrational self-confidence in a futile endeavor to somehow earn Jesus’ favor. But one day the coin flipped, and Peter learned to live in the truth of Philippians 4:13. He understood that apart from Christ, he was nothing and could do nothing. But there came a point when he realized he could do all things through Christ, who gave him strength. Unfortunately, it was through the failure of denying Jesus that Peter learned this valuable lesson. But we don’t have to repeat Peter’s mistake. We can learn what it means to be wholly dependent on Jesus and His ability. Watch our study of Matthew 26:36-75 as we consider the pitfalls of leaning on our own strength. There are quite a few troubling words in Matthew 26. Words like crucified, buried, betrayed, broken body, blood shed, strike the shepherd, sheep scattered, stumble, and denial. These are all troubling words that speak of troubling times. But there is hope.
Is your heart troubled today? Perhaps over your own sin and failings? Over others' sin and failings? Maybe your heart is troubled over something in the past, or something that might be in the future. There is hope. And thankfully, Jesus will tell us about the comfort only He can provide for our troubled hearts. Watch our study of Matthew 26:1-35 as we consider some troubling words before we read of the comforting words of Christ. In Matthew 25, Jesus continues teaching His disciples about His return. At that time, Jesus describes three ways people will be separated.
First, the wise will be separated from the foolish. Second, the faithful will be separated from the unfaithful. And third, the sheep will be separated from the goats. Through these examples, Jesus shows how true believers will be found busy about their master's business as they anticipate His imminent return. Watch our study of Matthew 25 as we consider the hope that we can have now to be ready for His return at any moment. We live at a point in history that the Bible speaks of more than any other time in human history. It may be that many prophecies find their fulfillment in this current generation. While it might seem like science fiction, God’s word has a clear track record of complete accuracy.
Consider just one of the prophecies that we looked at a few weeks ago—the regathering of the Jewish people into the land of Israel. In 70 AD, they were displaced and scattered to every other nation under heaven, and remained so for almost 2,000 years. And yet God said multiple times in Scripture that He would regather them in a single day—and did on May 14th, 1948. While not all prophecies are as jubilant, all of God’s promises have a purpose. Watch our study of Matthew 24 as we consider Jesus’ prophecy of the time of great tribulation—a specific, defined season of suffering. Though this time will be worse than anything the world has ever seen, He offers us hope and refuge in Him. Near the time of Jesus’ crucifixion, the disciples were impressed by the temple in Jerusalem. And who could blame them? Many of them were from the small communities in Galilee. These were really impressive buildings built with white marble and gold. Sitting high on Mount Moriah, they would have been visible for miles.
But Jesus knew what was coming. As impressive as these stone buildings were, He knew that physical and spiritual destruction was coming. That destruction was weighing on Jesus’ mind when His disciples observed these structures. He wanted to warn them about what was to come. Watch our study of Matthew 24:1-2 as we pause for a brief primer on prophecy before continuing in this important chapter. The religious rulers during Jesus’ earthly ministry survived on the understanding that man looks at the outward appearance and can’t see the heart. But Jesus, being God, saw right through their hypocrisy and publicly called them out in front of the people they were supposed to serve.
In response, the chief priests, elders, Pharisees, Sadducees, and scribes attempted to trick and trap Jesus. But time and time again, Jesus triumphed over their tricks and traps with the truth. One day, after enduring all their attacks, Jesus saw something rare and beautiful. What did He see? Watch our study of Matthew 24:1-2 as we consider an act of sacrificial love so profound that it captivated Jesus’ attention. In Matthew 23, Jesus gives a warning concerning the scribes and the Pharisees with such intensity and specificity that it seems out of character for His usual meek and mild manner throughout the Gospels.
His intensity in calling out these religious rulers should cause us to take note. While He is angry, He is still sinless and maintains a righteous judgment in this word of warning, correction, and rebuke to what these individuals have done and continue to do. Watch our study of Matthew 23 as we consider these harsh yet honest rebukes to the religious leaders and how we might heed Jesus’ warning today. |
From Pastor Dom...When I first gave my life to Jesus, there were friends in my life who helped me to grow in my understanding of God, through His word, and for those friends Archives
July 2026
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