Redemption Church

The Good News Kingdom: Peter's Confession

In Matthew 16:13-20 we come to one of the most controversial passages in all of church history! This passage is the famous passage that has divided the Catholic and Protestant church, all regarding the declaration of Peter that Jesus the Son of God and then Jesus’ response that he will build his church “on the rock.” In this sermon we examine not only WHAT was said, but WHERE it was said. Understanding where this famous passage takes place is the key to actually understanding what is happening in this passage, and also equips and empowers us to pick up our own place as those who are The Church. 

The Good News Kingdom: The Leaven of the Pharisees

In Matthew 16:5-12 Jesus warns his disciples, and us, about what we should be perceptive and on guard against! His warning may shock and alarm us though. He warns against the one thing that will keep us far from the Kingdom, even though we often think we are close. If we understand this warning, we realize that deep within each of us is a bent towards self-salvation, and only in the good news of grace are we continually liberated from that. 

The Good News Kingdom: Feeding the 4,000

Jesus performs another feeding miracle by providing for 4,000 people. The disciples are confused again how they are going to feed so many people with so little food, even though they witnessed a similar event a few chapter earlier. This demonstrates that our natural hearts are bent towards a scarcity mindset, not an abundant one. In Jesus we have abundance. In this sermon, Pastor Scott analyzes the distinction between living with a scarcity vs abundance mindset.

The Good News Kingdom: Canaanite Woman Healed

This sermon explored a strange encounter between Jesus and a Canaanite woman. A demon oppressed the daughter of the Canaanite woman. The woman approaches Jesus and pleads for his help. In a surprising turn of events, Jesus seems to ignore her and then insult her for being a Gentile. We explore the tension of walking through the silence of God while looking to Jesus, who himself walked through the silence of God on the cross. This Canaanite woman stands as a picture of genuine Christian faith in the gospel. 

The Good News Kingdom: Defilement

In Matthew 15.10-20, Jesus makes an outrageous claim - or at least outrageous to the Jews of his day - that defilement comes from inside, not the outside. He states, "What goes into someone’s mouth does not defile them, but what comes out of their mouth, that is what defiles them.” In this teaching, Pastor Scott analyzes the nature of defilement both then and today.

The Good News Kingdom: Traditions & Commandments

Jesus despised traditions that had no genuine love for God at their root. In Matthew 15.1-9, Jesus calls out the hypocrisy of the elders of Israel by honoring God only with their lips or their outward shows of purity and not loving God with their hearts. Pastor Scott then highlights seven different ways religious people act and think over against a genuine love for God.

The Good News Kingdom: Jesus Walks on Water

When Jesus invites Peter to walk out on the water, it is an invitation to walk with him over the chaos dragon of the sea. Our greatest enemies are not the ones we can see, but the ones behind the things we see. In this sermon, Pastor Scott points out how our faith in Jesus keeps us above the waves and storms of this life.

The Good News Kingdom: Feeding the 5,000

In Matthew 14:13-21 we explored Jesus feeding the 5000. We see that Jesus is much more than just a compassionate provider, as we see him call his disciples into participation with him but then also we see Jesus give a preview of where the provision for all of God’s people will ultimately come from. 

The Good News Kingdom: Jesus and Herod

John the Baptizer sets an example for us to be faithful to Jesus even to death. However, he also foreshadows the Messiah who would be rejected by the leaders and murdered by their hands. We come to see that we can give our lives to Jesus like John when we first see that Jesus gave up his life for us.

The Coming of the King: 2023 Advent Series Part 3

The incarnation of Jesus does far more than we initially think. We are all aware that he came to deal with our sin, but he also came to liberate us from the power of the one who holds the power of death. In this sermon, Pastor Scott analyzes Hebrews 2 to demonstrate how we can be free from all of our greatest enemies through the incarnation.