Peter Friend

Still today we find ways to dismiss and reject the truth of Jesus. We are an evil and adulterous Generation. This week we see from Matthew 12:38-50 that we should stop dismissing Jesus and come to him and repent and find ourselves in the family of God.

Passage: Matthew 12:38-50

How can we know where we stand with Jesus? It’s an important question with eternal consequences. This week we see from Matthew 12:15-37 that, as God’s Spirit-Filled servant king, Jesus is gentle and gives real hope to those who trust Him but promises judgment to those who reject Him.

Passage: Matthew 12:15-37

Rules are pretty useful, but they can never give us real rest and real relationship with God and others. This week we see from Matthew 11:25-12:14 that true rest isn’t found in keeping the rules under our own strength, but coming to Jesus, the Lord of the Sabbath, who frees us to truly love God and truly love others.

Passage: Matthew 11:25-12:14

Listening to instructions is great. But instructions are useless unless you actually do them. Watch our in-person service from Sunday 3 April 2022 as we sing God’s praises, pray together, read God’s word and see from Matthew 7:13-39 how Jesus shows us that those who truly belong to his kingdom don’t just hear his words, they do them. The consequences are serious if we don’t.

Passage: Matthew 7:13-39

Warning: self-righteousness is annoying. Don’t go there. Instead, keep your perspective. How? This week we see from Matthew 7:1-12 that the radical, heart obedience of Jesus’ kingdom means acting towards others from a right perspective of our own sinfulness and the goodness of our Heavenly Father. This will mean humility toward others, dependence on God and doing good to all.

Passage: Matthew 7:1-12

How do birds and flowers point us to an antidote for anxiety? This week we see from Matthew 6:19-34 how Jesus uses these things to show us that the antidote to anxiety is to seek God’s kingdom first because we can trust in our Heavenly Father’s loving care.

Passage: Matthew 6:19-34

Praise is a fickle thing, and yet we all want it. How can we be free from living for praise? This week we see from Matthew 6:1-18 how Jesus calls us to radical, heart obedience that is not motivated by the praise of men, but by the reward of our Heavenly Father. A heart obedience that can set us free from slavery to the fickle master of praise to live for our loving heavenly Father.

Passage: Matthew 6:1-18

What does living for Jesus now have to do with the Old Testament? This week we see from Matthew 5:17-37 that Jesus has come to fulfill the Old Testament and so calls his people to the radical, heard obedience of the Kingdom of Heaven.

Passage: Matthew 5:17-37

Jesus, the King in God’s Kingdom, gives to us the blessings for choosing to repent. This week we hear Jesus in Matthew 4:25 – 5:16 offer blessings to Jew and Gentile who come with humble, contrite hearts and who long for real righteousness.

Passage: Matthew 4:25-5:16

How can we be sure Jesus is worth following? Thankfully, He’s already been put to the test. This week we see from Matthew 4:1-25 that we should repent and follow Jesus, who has been tested and shown to be the righteous and faithful Son of God who brings light to his people in the shadow of death.

Passage: Matthew 4:1-25

How do you get ready for the coming of the king? This week we see from Matthew 3:1-17 that we must repent and bear fruit, because the Kingdom of Heaven has come in Jesus, God’s own Son.

Passage: Matthew 3:1-17