In Acts 25-26, the story of Paul as witness on trial for the gospel comes to an epic conclusion before he reaches Rome. Everything has been building up to this moment where, in the providence of God, he gives the reason for his hope before the rulers of all Judea. Paul bears witness that King […]
When Paul stood before the high priest and the Jewish council, he said: “It is with respect to the hope and the resurrection of the dead that I am on trial” (Acts 23:6). Over and over, Paul makes this same assertion in his defense speeches in Acts. But why did he understand his all his […]
While it is clear that we are living in an increasingly secular age, it is actually quite religious. More and more people desire a spiritual identity that gives them purpose and meaning in this life, and seek to fill the void left by religion with a host of idols such as entertainment, self-expression, romance, wellness, […]
The main point of Paul’s sermon at Pisidian Antioch was that “God has brought to Israel a Savior, Jesus, as he promised” (Acts 13:23). He began with a summary of Israel’s history to show that with the coming of Jesus, God had proven faithful to his promises to rescue humanity. But the question remains: How […]
In spite of humanity’s sinful rebellion and our repeated failure to trust our Maker, God has always been faithful to his promises. One promise in particular, made to King David, was that a son would come from his line who would one day reign in righteousness and restore all things in perfect peace. At the […]
In this sermon, Pastor Matt reminds us that the Last Day will not only be a day of judgment and retribution. Though the wine will have run dry in the city of this world, another feast will have just begun. Note: This sermon was delivered during the COVID-19 pandemic, when our Lord’s Day worship services […]
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 […]
One of the most fundamental truths of life is that no one escapes death. Scripture tells us that death came into the world because of sin, and death spread to all men because all have sinned (Rom. 5:12). But Jesus of Nazareth made an astounding claim: “I am the resurrection and the life. Whoever believes […]
Today, we live in a secular age, where belief in God is simply one of many options available to us to improve our quality of life. We live in a distracted age, where we think and live only in materialistic terms, concerned with our immediate comfort and personal fulfillment, viewing this present life as all […]