Render to Caesar

The Grief of God

Matthew 23 contains the harshest words Jesus ever spoke in public. Yet the chapter does not end the way we would expect it to. In its final three verses, Jesus says something to the city that reveals what has been in his heart the whole time, and it raises a question every believer eventually asks: What does God actually feel about people who keep him at arm's length? This week, we will discover what Jesus says happens when God's people keep telling him no.

Woe to the Hypocrites

Most of us know what it feels like to keep up appearances -- to present one version of ourselves in public while something very different is happening on the inside. What happens when that gap shows up not just in our personal lives but in our religion? Jesus walked into the most religiously precise environment in the ancient world and unleashed the most severe indictment of His entire ministry. What He exposed was not irreligion; it was something far more dangerous. This week, we will discover what Jesus says happens when we neglect the transformation of our inward spiritual life.

Imaginary Jesus

Have you ever been completely confident you knew the right answer, only to discover your answer was missing something critical? The Pharisees found themselves in exactly that position when Jesus turned their own Scriptures back on them with a question they could not answer. What was it about their understanding of the Messiah that collapsed under the weight of a single psalm? This week, we will discover what happens when our assumptions about Jesus are measured against what Scripture actually reveals about Him.

Love: The Greatest Commandment

What are all the commandments of the Bible really about? For that matter, what is the Bible all about? What’s behind all the prophetic and apostolic exhortations? What are the final lessons to be learned from its documented history? What is the intended goal of this record of divine revelation? What is God up to? In fact, who is God? Interestingly, Jesus answers all these all-encompassing questions in our study text by responding to a lawyer who asks, “What is the great commandment?” This week, we'll discover how Jesus response is a window into understanding what God and life are all about.

Hope for Our Future

Every human will eventually ask questions about what the future holds for them. “Is there life after death?” is one of the most common wonders of every person. Is there a reason to have hope about our future? In Matthew 22 some religious leaders, trying to trick Jesus, gave him the open window to talk about why we should have a confident hope that there is indeed life after death. This week, we will discover where our hope for the future lies and why we can be confident.