Identification Please
07 Oct 2007 • Charles Cooper
With four hundred years between the Old and New Testament, any claim to be a continuation of the Old Testament would require proof. One’s connection with the Old Testamentmust be through one or both of the two great pillars of the Jewish faith—Abraham and David. Thus, the New Testament opens with this very connection between Jesus and Abraham and David. Just how important is this?
Matthew 1:1 (45:59)

Accomplishing the Impossible
14 Oct 2007 • Scott Holmgren
When someone communicates something, they have a purpose. When you tell your kids or your spouse something, there is a reason you say what you say. And usually we don’t think as much about why we say something as much as we do what we say. When it comes to knowing God and His character, it does us great benefit to pause and wonder why He said something. For often, knowing the why can help us better to know the what.
Matthew 1:22-23 (53:26)

The Roots of a King
21 Oct 2007 • Charles Cooper
In presenting Jesus as King of the Jews, Matthew has to overcome the problem of 400 years of silence; almost 500 years without a Davidite on the throne of Israel; skepticism that God will keep His promise; and a highly questionable father-mother-child conception. Matthew begins with a list of the fathers of Jesus to connect him with Abraham and David – the two most important pillars of Jewish history. However, buried in the genealogy of Jesus is a message of hope for all believers.
Matthew 1:2-17 (52:39)

Who Are My Parents?
04 Nov 2007 • Charles Cooper
I need you to try to think like God thinks. You need to save mankind. To do it you will need to send your Son into the world as a man. How will you do it? He will have to be Son of God and Son of Man at the same time. Thus, He will have to be born of a woman and conceived by God. If you are like me, at this point, my head hurts. However, this week we learn how God solved this problem. It is the greatest miracle man will ever witness.
Matthew 1:18-25 (46:43)

I'm Leaving
11 Nov 2007 • Charles Cooper
Just how would you feel if you were placed in Joseph's situation? Wedding date is set. Invitations have gone out. Wedding dress and cake ordered. The wedding license completed and mailed. Nothing’s left but the ceremony at the church of her parents. And then the lady you are committed to spending the rest of your earthly life with suddenly tells you that she is pregnant. The Father? The Holy Ghost! This week we look at Joseph's options and his decision.
Matthew 1:18-25 (54:15)

The Song of Thanksgiving
18 Nov 2007 • Scott Holmgren
A grateful heart operating by faith is unstoppable. If you could accomplish anything for God, that combination – a grateful heart operating by faith – is the catalyst He uses to affect change in amazing ways. Continuing on our journey through the Book of Matthew, we’ll consider Mary, the mother of Jesus, and her inspiring contribution to the art of giving thanks!
Matthew 1:18-25 (52:30)

Three Kings
02 Dec 2007 • Scott Holmgren
The Christmas story is a familiar one to us all, but often in our familiarity we miss hearing the details about what God is communicating to us with regards to His Son, Immanuel – “God With Us.” This Sunday we’ll consider the Wise Men and their arrival in Judea and become firsthand witnesses of what happens when the issue of authority is settled for the human race.
Matthew 2:1-12 (64:06)

Driven to Flee
09 Dec 2007 • Scott Holmgren
"Is a prophecy still a prophecy if no one knows it is?" A peculiar question, but one that the gospel of Matthew gives us to wrestle with while challenging us to consider how we are to respond to temptations. Don't miss this Sunday; the Christmas season is the perfect time to reflect on God, His plans, and what a commitment to Him looks like.
Matthew 2:13-15 (49:20)

To Egypt and Back Again
16 Dec 2007 • Charles Cooper
Matthew's unique usage of Hosea 11:1 opens up a new and exciting way to understand the relationship between the Old and New Testaments. This Sunday we learn a very special way God uses Old Testament events, peoples, and circumstances to teach how God works in our lives over the centuries. Join us as we travel to Egypt and back again.
Matthew 2:15 (43:40)

Where You From?
13 Jan 2008• Scott Holmgren
He was born in Bethlehem and spent His early years out of the country. But when He began His ministry through the countryside of modern day Israel, Jesus hailed from Nazareth. Why there? It identified Him for the rest of His life. Likewise, from where do you draw your identity?
Matthew 2:19-23 (57:25)

A New Bourne Identity
3 Feb 2008• Charles Cooper
One way to express God's will for every individual is identification. God wants us to identify with Him and His ways. One of the ways we express our identification with God is through baptism. Baptism is one of two ways we obey the Lord's expressed will for us. Baptism is the same as identification. Do you have a new “bourne identity”?
Matthew 3:13-17 (33:48)

Now Versus Later: Satan's Way Versus God's Way
10 Feb 2008• Charles Cooper
There are two roads we potentially travel every day: the “Now” road or the “Later” road. The consequences of always taking the “Now” road are three: (1) you will never have the satisfaction that you have pleased God; (2) there are physical, mental, and psychological unhappinesses that always result from taking the “Now” road; (3) the “Now” road will always lead to ultimate disaster. The “Later” road is just the opposite.
Matthew 4:1-11 (41:14)

Changing of the Guard
17 Feb 2008 • Scott Holmgren
Nobody’s perfect. We all mess up. It’s a fact of life. What’s it like afterwards? When we’ve done something wrong, we can try to ignore it completely. We might try to rationalize our choice. We may very well be plagued by our sin for a long time. But ultimately, what is it that God wants us to do?
Matthew 4:12-17 (43:35)

Fish, Superdelegates, and a Choice
02 Mar 2008 • Scott Holmgren
Contrary to popular opinion, there are no such things as “leaders.” We may look at those in positions of prominence or authority and see them do the task of leading, but does that mean they are truly leaders? Could it be that for each one of us, whatever leading we engage in, it is only the result of our ability to follow?
Matthew 4:18-22 (46:00)

Universal Divine-care
09 Mar 2008 • Charles Cooper
There is a real difference between promise and fulfillment. Jesus made some big promises. Can He keep His word? He promises physical, emotional, spiritual, and psychological freedom for those who follow Him. If He did it before, He can do it again. This week we will study a major promise of Christ to all who follow Him.
Matthew 4:23-25 (42:35)

Living With or Without God: The World's Rejects
16 Mar 2008 • Charles Cooper
The contrast between what the world values and what God blesses could not be more vivid than in our Lord's Beatitudes. The world makes fun of people that God highly praises. Just who are these rejects of mankind? Listen as Jesus explains God's value system.
Matthew 5:1-11 (41:13)

Living With or Without God: Dashes and Splashes
23 Mar 2008 • Charles Cooper
It is hard to imagine that God expects us (Christians) to perform salt and light functions in this world. It seems to be the case that He forgot to inform the world of our duty. However, our duty is clear: salt the earth and light the world! Ours is a life of dashes and splashes. Who have you dashed lately? Is your splasher working? Without dashers and splashers: this world will descend into chaos!
Matthew 5:13-16 (31:52)

Living With or Without God: Anger
06 Apr 2008 • Eddie Taubensee
The Sermon on the Mount contains a wake up call when it comes to the area of anger in our lives. What do we do when that emotion comes upon us like the alarm clock that stirs us in the morning? Most of us might think that anger comes from the enemy. But you might be surprised to find out that we can use it to glorify God as well.
Matthew 5:21-26 (33:32)

Living With or Without God: Lust
13 Apr 2008 • Scott Holmgren
The world has subtly redefined what “lust” is, and now we get bombarded with messages that can convince us that it can be as soft as a kitten’s purr or channeled into productivity. When you are squarely confronted with lust, where will you turn? To life choices with God’s perspective or without them?
Matthew 5:27-30 (61:18)

Living With or Without God: Divorce
20 Apr 2008 • Charles Cooper
Dr. Howard Hendrix says, “Man is the only animal that if he receives a pat on the back, his head swells up.” Human beings can rise to great heights and equally descend to the gutter. Contradiction is humanity’s by-line. Divorce fits in the category of major contradictions. We typically get out of a marriage to be happy, which is the reason we got married in the first place! Few people know that Jesus taught that getting out of a bad marriage is worst than staying in it.
Matthew 5:31-32 (38:50)

Living With or Without God: Divorce – Divide and Lose
27 Apr 2008 • Charles Cooper
In warfare, divide and conquer is a proven strategy that has won many battles. However, a philosophy of division in marriage leads to defeat. This week we examine the question: “Is it lawful for a man to divorce his wife for any cause?” The answer to the question will be unsettling to some. The goal of studying God’s Word is to know the truth so we can do what is right. The “right” may be difficult to do and require many hours of hard work, but at least we know what is expected.
Matthew 19:3-12 (54:23)

Living With or Without God: Divorce – A Hard Pill to Swallow
04 May 2008 • Charles Cooper
The laws of the United States prohibit biblically expected punishment for adultery. Our government allows divorce to occur "for any reason." Since the Church can only consent to what the government mandates, God's will is often left in the dust. The consequence of these outcomes is pain, pain, pain, and more pain for those left behind. The first remedy against a society that lacks rules on divorce and remarriage is a proper understanding of God's will. Listen as we deal with the critical issue of remarriage. When and when is it not lawful under God's economy?
Matthew 19:1-9 (48:07)

Living With or Without God: Divorce – Drowning in Grace
11 May 2008 • Charles Cooper
All of us have found ourselves in a situation where we have blown
it with no ability to go back to repair the past. Divorce is just such
an issue. In this situation, we can only live with the past and enjoy
our future to the degree that we daily drown in God's grace. The
consequences of what we did must be left to the wisdom of God. He will
do right by us. Recriminations, self-hatred, and blame will do nothing
to change the past. We must abandon ourselves to the grace of God and
seek to be faithful to God with each new day he gives us.
Matthew 19:10-12 (41:57)

Secret Agents for Personal Gain
01 Jun 2008 • Charles Cooper
Dr. Howard Hendricks says, “Man is the only creature if you pat him on the back, his heads swells up.” Humans love praise from other humans. Yet, God takes personal offense when we do something for him, but seek praise from others. Our giving, praying, and fasting are the works of a secret agent. We work in secret and receive God’s blessings for it. It’s our choice: work openly and receive the praise of men only or work in secret and receive God’s blessings and the praise of men possibly!
Matthew 6:1-18 (41:21)

Empty Pockets and Confident Living
08 Jun 2008 • Charles Cooper
To amass wealth is disobedience to God for true believers. Why? Because money makes us less dependent on God, and this God hates. Wealth has driven many men to death to get it or to keep it. Listen as Scripture speaks of a way of living that results in empty pockets and confident living.
Matthew 6:19-24 (54:45)

Between Me and God
15 Jun 2008 • Scott Holmgren
If you can imagine yourself standing face-to-face with God, just like anyone else, there would be a space between He and you. And within that still, small space there would exist at the same time opportunity and obstacle. What would you do with that space? In The Sermon on the Mount, Jesus calls that space by two names: anxiety and faith. Ask yourself, “Which is it, between me and God?”
Matthew 6:25-34 (48:36)