It occurred to me that someone wandering into our service today would be very confused about what just happened here. Hot tubs are for
In the second parable of Matthew 13, Jesus tells a story about a land-owner, his wheat field, and a dastardly plot by an enemy
The thirteenth chapter of Matthew’s gospel records an abrupt shift in Jesus’s teaching ministry. Responding to his formal rejection as messianic King by Israel’s
In a dramatic shift in tactics, noted by his disciples themselves, Jesus begins teaching the crowds using parables in Matthew 13. But what brought
Up to this point in Matthew’s gospel there has been a consistent and clear proclamation of the nearness of the kingdom of heaven (see
One of the most interesting findings I’ve discovered in Scripture is what the Bible says about the mind. It is fascinating and can be
In Matthew 12, we read one of the most pivotal moments in the entire gospel account: Jesus presents the evidence that he is the
It’s been said that failures are like a compost heap—they stink but are the most fertile part of the garden! We’ve all experienced failure
Many of us may still remember days past when we started each day in the classroom with the Lord’s Prayer. But why this prayer?
Matthew 12 reads like the transcript of the final scenes of a long courtroom drama—The People v. Jesus of Nazareth. It’s a trial that
In our study of the seven churches of Revelation we have come to the last church. Laodicea was a big town, a rich town.
For the past several weeks, Oakridge has been preaching through the first few chapters of the book of Revelation, and we figured it was