Sermons by Pastor Matt Erickson (Page 15)
Real Faith
Jesus’ words about worry, anxiety, and trust can sometimes seem out of reach. How do we live with real faith like this? Matthew 6:25-34 Sermon Outline “But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.” (Matthew 6:33) Why Worry? (6:25, 27, 28, 31, 34) What is worry? Why do we worry? What does worry accomplish? The difference between worry and work What Preoccupies Us? (6:25) Preoccupation with food and clothes…
Real Treasure
What does it mean to treasure something and how does that impact our life? How does this relate to the power of money in our life? Matthew 6:19-24 Sermon Outline “Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moths and vermin destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven…” (Matthew 6:19-20) Real Treasure (6:19-21) The reality and limits of earthly storing up The promise and possibility of heavenly storing up…
Real Spirituality
Beyond outward show, what is real spirituality and piety all about? Jesus’ addresses how visible actions often distract from the hidden life in almsgiving, fasting, and prayer. Matthew 6:1-18 Sermon Outline “Be careful not to practice your righteousness in front of others to be seen by them. If you do, you will have no reward from your Father in heaven.” (Matthew 6:1) Jesus and fulfillment of the Law and the Prophets Who Are We Living For?: The Audience of Our…
Real Righteousness
Hearing Jesus’ words about real righteousness for the disciple-life and what it means that He came to fulfill, but not abolish, the law. Matthew 5:17-48 Sermon Outline “Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them.” (Matthew 5:17) Jesus’ Arrival and the Time of Fulfillment (5:17-19) Jesus and fulfillment of the Law and the Prophets The continuing value of the Law and the Prophets…
Real Identity
Looking at the disciple’s identity as salt and light in Christ for the sake of the world. Matthew 5:13-16 Sermon Outline “You are the salt of the earth…You are the light of the world…” (Matthew 5:13, 14) “You are…” The disciples The crowds Who is the “you”? The unexpected ones in God’s mission Metaphor and the Power of Mental Pictures Jesus’ use of metaphor in Matthew 5:13-16 Why mental pictures are invaluable for life “You are the salt of the…
Real Life
Exploring the beatitudes as being blessed with the good life with God accessible in Jesus Christ. Matthew 5:1-11 Sermon Outline “Now when Jesus saw the crowds, he went up on a mountainside and sat down. His disciples came to him, and he began to teach them.” (Matthew 5:1-2) Introduction to the Sermon on the Mount Matthew’s Gospel organized around 5 discourses 1. Matthew 5-7 2. Matthew 10 3. Matthew 13 4. Matthew 18 5. Matthew 24-25 The disciples as the…
The Call of Discipleship
Jesus calls the disciples and commissions them as apostles. He calls the least of these and brings hope and healing into their lives. Matthew 4:18-25 SERMON OUTLINE “Jesus went throughout Galilee, teaching in their synagogues, proclaiming the good news of the kingdom, and healing every disease and sickness among the people.” (Matthew 4:23) Introducing the Next Section of Matthew’s Gospel The new geography: from Nazareth to Capernaum (4:13) The beginnings of the Messianic community: Peter, Andrew, James, John (4:18-22) The…
Baptized with Water and Spirit
Jesus’ baptism is the fulfillment of all righteousness and a revelation of His Sonship. It also echoes the Exodus journey of Israel through the Red Sea. Matthew 3:13-17 SERMON OUTLINE “Then Jesus came from Galilee to the Jordan to be baptized by John.” (Matthew 3:13) Facts of Jesus’ Baptism timing setting Theological Truths of Jesus’ Baptism Representative Messiah: John’s hesitation and Jesus’ purpose The Descent of the Dove: the coming of the Holy Spirit Jesus the Unique Son of God:…
The Voice of One Calling Out
This week explores John the Baptist as a prophetic voice calling out for repentance and change in a challenging time for Israel. Radical elements call for revolutionary overthrow of Rome. John calls for a radical revolution of the human heart. SERMON OUTLINE “In those days John the Baptist came, preaching in the wilderness of Judea and saying, ‘Repent, for the kingdom of heaven has come near.’” (Matthew 3:1-2) John the Baptist (Matthew 3:1-4) Repentance The kingdom of heaven The voice…
Refugee Messiah
With echoes of Moses’ journey and the Exodus, Jesus’ earthly parents flee from the wrath of Herod the Great to Egypt, returning only after an angelic visitation tells them it is safe. They return not to Bethlehem but to Nazareth. Matthew 2:13-23 SERMON OUTLINE “So he got up, took the child and his mother during the night and left for Egypt, where he stayed until the death of Herod. And so was fulfilled what the Lord had said through the…
The Way of Jesus and the Way of Herod
An exploration of the contrasting kingship of Jesus and Herod with attention to how both of them present a “way” of life that is starkly different in its rule, tone, and outcomes. Matthew 1:20-25; 2:3, 12 SERMON OUTLINE “When Herod realized that he had been outwitted by the Magi, he was furious, and he gave orders to kill all the boys in Bethlehem and its vicinity who were two years old and under.” (Matthew 2:16) A Conversation about Ways What…
Mary
Looking at the birth of Jesus through the eyes and experience of Mary. Matthew 1:18-25 SERMON OUTLINE “’The virgin will conceive and give birth to a son, and they will call him Immanuel’ (which means ‘God with us’).” (Matthew 1:23) The Obedience of Mary Her place in the genealogy Contrast with Eve The Role of the Holy Spirit God is fully holy and Mary is honored Parallel with Genesis Dignity of the body in the incarnation Mary the Virgin Mother…