Grace Bible Church - Matthew Study

The Church That Jesus Built - Matthew 16:13-20

Sun, 30 Jan 1994 21:50:54 -0500

The Church That Jesus Built - Matthew 16:13-20, Pastor Scott L. Harris. HTML clipboard
This morning we come to one of the great texts of Scripture. Some people claim it is great because of the controversy that surrounds it, but controversy is not the basis for making something great. It is great because it describes so clearly the state of man - blind and without understanding - and the mercy of God in intervening into the life of man so that he may come to know the truth. It is a great text because it centers on God's ability to use people that yield themselves to Him.

Beware of Poisoned Religion - Matthew 16:1-12

Sun, 23 Jan 1994 21:10:16 -0500

Beware of Poisoned Religion - Matthew 16:1-12, Pastor Scott L. Harris. Jesus warned his disciples concerning the Pharisees and Sadducees. This same spiritual poison they gave then is still around today and it condemns the soul to death because the human spirit prefers this poison to what it needs for life.

Compassion for People - Matthew 15:29-39

Sun, 16 Jan 1994 19:20:17 -0500

Compassion for People - Matthew 15:29-39, Pastor Scott L. Harris. The mercy of God continued to spill over to the Gentiles as Jesus travels to another area. In this sermon we find again that Jesus has compassion for all people.

The Faith of an Outcast - Matthew 15:21-28

Sun, 09 Jan 1994 18:21:13 -0500

The Faith of an Outcast - Matthew 15:21-28, Pastor Scott L. Harris. What kind of faith do you have? There was Peter who had “little faith,” yet was able to do the impossible. There were the multitudes that had enough faith to come to Jesus to be healed of their sicknesses, yet they did not have enough faith to believe His claims that He was the Messiah, and so they left Him. There was the faith of the Pharisees and scribes which was a faith in the traditions that had developed over the centuries that had obscured the Word of God with the precepts of men. There was also the growing faith of Peter who kept pursuing the truth, even if that meant others might think he wasn't very bright for asking such seemingly simple questions. What kind of faith marks your life?
This morning we are going to examine another kind of faith. A faith that Jesus called a “great faith.” It was a faith that was not expected to be found among the gentiles, yet it is the type of faith that characterizes those who truly seek after God.

Religion Versus Real Faith - Matthew 14:34-15:20

Sun, 02 Jan 1994 20:35:18 -0500

Religion Versus Real Faith - Matthew 14:34-15:20. There are many religious people that claim they want to follow God, but the proof of faith is in the actions of life. Jesus exposed the hypocrisy of the Pharisees while still encouraging those who struggled to believe, but genuinely wanted to understand.

Keeping Your Eyes on Jesus - Matthew 14:22-36

Sun, 26 Dec 1993 20:21:25 -0500

Keeping Your Eyes on Jesus - Matthew 14:22-36. When Jesus meets the His disciples in the middle of the Sea of Galilee by walking out to their boat, that was not what they were expecting and were quite afraid. Only Peter shows enough faith to get out of the boat, but sinks when He takes His eyes off Jesus and places them on His circumstances. In this we find an important lesson about faith and trust.

Feeding the Multitude - Matthew 14:13-21

Sun, 12 Dec 1993 20:07:33 -0500

Feeding the Multitude - Matthew 14:13-21. Though Jesus had gone to a lonely place to get away from the crowds, He had compassion on the multitudes that had followed Him. He healed them, taught them, and then miraculously fed over 5,000 with the contents of a young boy's lunch. He used the opportunity to teach His disciples about trusting God to provide.

The Death of John the Baptist - Matthew 14:1-12

Sun, 05 Dec 1993 19:36:23 -0500

The Death of John the Baptist - Matthew 14:1-12. What you believe is very important for there are both temporal and eternal consequences to them. The test of the depth of your belief is how much are you willing to suffer for them. John the Baptist proved the depth of his belief and in doing so became a prime example of faith.

The Tragedy of Unbelief - Matthew 13:53-58

Sun, 28 Nov 1993 22:08:41 -0500

The Tragedy of Unbelief - Matthew 13:53-58. Pastor Scott L. Harris. How important is what you believe? Does it really make that much difference? Many view beliefs as the equivalent of opinions, and everyone has an opinion, and everyone's opinions are just as good and important as everyone else's. Or at least that is th4e view of those who want to reduce your belief (and opinion) to relative unimportance. The truth is that belief is of vital importance because there are consequences to what you believe about Jesus Christ and this morning's text points out the consequences of refusing to believe the truth. There is great tragedy in unbelief.

The Value of the Kingdom - Matthew 13:44-52

Sun, 14 Nov 1993 21:56:05 -0500

The Value of the Kingdom, Matthew 13:44-52. Pastor Scott L. Harris. What do you value the most? If your house is on fire, what would you have saved? In this sermon two parables are examined in which Jesus describes the physical treasure that two different men valued so much that they sold all they had to gain it. Jesus will use that illustration to teach the spiritual truth that there is nothing on earth as valuable as entering into His kingdom.

The Parables of the Kingdom - Matthew 13:24-42

Sun, 07 Nov 1993 21:41:28 -0500

The Parables of the Kingdom, Matthew 13:24-42. Pastor Scott L. Harris. This is the second of Jesus' kingdom parables designed to reveal truth concerning the Kingdom of Heaven to His followers while concealing it from His enemies. It still does that even though we also have the record of Jesus' explanation of it to His disciples.

The Parable of the Sower - Matthew 13:3-9, 18-23

Sun, 17 Oct 1993 22:15:56 -0400

The Parable of the Sower, Matthew 13:3-9, 18-23. Pastor Scott L. Harris. Many have stumbled in interpreting Jesus' parables. Liberal theologians have failed because they presume that by their supposedly superior intellect they can discern what each element of the story means and thus interpret it, but again, without the Holy Spirit you absolutely cannot understand the Scriptures. Conservative theologians have often presented erroneous interpretations too - sometimes due to the same intellectual pride as the liberals, but also many times because of a failure on the opposite end. They isolate the text and fail to do the diligent study they should to understand the context and what the other Scriptures say. In order to keep from stumbling into any of these traps, we will quickly review again the purpose of Matthew's gospel account and the nature of salvation as presented by Him so that we might properly understand the meaning of the parable of the sower.

The Purpose of Parables - Matthew 13:1-17; 34,35

Sun, 10 Oct 1993 22:07:05 -0400

The Purpose of Parables, Matthew 13:1-17; 34,35. Pastor Scott L. Harris. A change has occurred in Jesus’ ministry. Jesus had been presenting Himself as the Messiah and His life and miracles demonstrated that He was the fulfillment of the Old Testament prophecies. However, the Jewish religious leaders had rejected Him, so from this point on, Jesus starts talking about a kingdom they had not been expecting. A spiritual kingdom rather than an earthly one. Jesus also begins to speak in a way that would confuse these proud and self- righteous men while letting the spiritually-minded understand.

Jesus Christ Our Brother, Matthew 12:46-50

Sun, 03 Oct 1993 21:52:05 -0400

Jesus Christ Our Brother, Matthew 12:46-50, Pastor Scott L. Harris - What if you could pick your family? In this passage we find that you can choose to be related to people that are loving, kind, good, patient, gentle, and joyful. If you are willing, you can have Jesus Christ as your brother and be an adopted son or daughter of God.

What Sign Are You Looking For? Matthew 12:38-45

Sun, 19 Sep 1993 20:46:51 -0400

What Sign Are You Looking For? Matthew 12:38-45, Pastor Scott L. Harris. How much does it take to prove a point? Despite Jesus' teaching and many miracles, the Scribes and Pharisees continually asked for more proof that Jesus was the Messiah. Jesus’ answer to their demand shows that they would not be satisfied by anything that Jesus did. Nothing could be done that would bring them to believe in Him.