In Matthew 13:31-33; 44-52, Jesus tells a pair of parables about a mustard seed and leaven and a treasure and a pearl. David Jansson, a guest from Radiant Church in Visalia, teaches us in this message that the Kingdom of God is a treasure worth joyfully going all in on and like a seed, something that starts small but miraculously has enormous impact. (The audio starts just a few seconds into his sermon, sorry!).
In Matthew 9:18-26 Jesus raises to life the daughter of a synagogue leader and heals a desperate woman of her hemorrhaging disorder. In these healings we see that Jesus responds to faith by bringing freedom from sickness AND death. We also see in this story Jesus willingness to touch women, an often marginalized group, particularly in that ancient context.
In Matthew 22:23-33 Jesus takes on a question about the resurrection from a group of Israel’s religious leaders known as the Sadducees. His answer shows that the life to come will be one of transformed glory for the people of God. By Noel Piepgrass
In Matthew 13:1-23, Jesus begins his sermon of parables with a story about a farmer who’s sowing seeds. The seed falls upon 4 different soils and we’re told, by Jesus, that each type of soil represents a heart condition. In this sermon, Pastor Noel Piepgrass shares how the heart can be hard, shallow, or distracted and thus unable to receive the seed of the gospel and thrive. Finally, Noel points us to Jesus, the one who makes our soil good as we turn to him through repentance. (sermon credit due, Danny Bartlett, whose work Pastor Noel drew heavily from)
In Matthew 19:13-15, the disciples rebuke the children who are presented to Jesus, but Jesus embraces them. By Steve Witmer (Radiant Church Visalia)
In Matthew 22:1-14, Jesus tells the last parable in a series of parables about what True-Faith looks like. In this parable about a Wedding Banquet, we learn that true faith is marked by transformation. By Noel Piepgrass
In Matthew 18:10-14, Jesus tells a parable about a shepherd that leaves his flock to pursue a lost sheep. By Noel Piepgrass