United by Saving Grace, part 2 (Acts 15:13-35)

In a world darkened by division and hostility, and while our nation is proving to be anything but “indivisible,” the church of the risen Lord Jesus is to be a radiant light of reconciliation, unity, and love. This is because Christians are a people united by saving grace (see Ephesians 2). However, it is all […]

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In this Resurrection Sunday message, Pastor Matt shows that for the one who trusts in Jesus, hope is not wishful thinking; it is confident expectation. And what is our hope? It is that that one day, what God did for Jesus on Easter morning, he will do for those united to Christ by faith and […]

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Egypt, My People (Isaiah 19-20)

As history has shown, there is nothing mankind can do to bring about world peace. Why? Because this world is full of proud and selfish people with sinful hearts! As the Apostle Paul writes: “In their paths are ruin and misery, and the way of peace they have not known. There is no fear of […]

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An Ethiopian Eunuch and His Faith (Acts 8:26-40)

Under the old covenant, the ceremonial laws communicated the truth that God is holy, and that he is totally separate from all that is not holy. This is why people with diseases or deformities were considered unclean and separated from the assembly of Israel. It wasn’t that these things made people evil; they symbolized the […]

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After two years through the gospel of Luke we come to the end of Jesus’ earthly ministry. But this is far from the end of his story. The exaltation of the risen Lord Jesus to the right hand of the Father, and the sending of the promised Holy Spirit, was the catalyst that sparked the […]

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Raging Against the King (Luke 23:1-12)

In Psalm 2:6, God declares that he has set his King on Mt. Zion despite the raging of the nations, and the Scriptures are clear that this anointed King is his only-begotten Son, Jesus. Therefore, whether our response to him is one of indifference like Pilate, contempt like Herod, or hatred like the Jews, we […]

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The puritan preacher, John Flavel, once remarked: “Every man loves the mercies of God, but a saint loves the God of mercies.” In times of trial, suffering, and need, anyone will gladly receive blessings from God; it doesn’t take the new birth to appreciate his mercies. In fact, anyone can perform religious duties and portray […]

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Reconciled Through the Cross (Eph. 2:11-18)

The good news, which we marveled at in Ephesians 2:1-10, profoundly alters the way we understand who the people of God truly are. The Ephesians were uncircumcised Gentiles, not circumcised Jews. They were not the physical descendants of Abraham. In fact, they were “alienated from the commonwealth of Israel and strangers to the covenants of promise, […]

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