Posts by Pastor Matt (Page 2)

In Exodus 19:5-6 God initiates a covenant partnership with the nation of Israel. God declares that Israel is to become a kingdom of priests. Not a kingdom with some priests, but a kingdom made up of priests. Everyone in this people of Israel has a priestly role to play. What is it? What role do priests play? They go between God and the people of the world. They reflect/reveal God to the nations. Every Israelite, and therefore Israel as a…

This Sunday I’ll participate in my dad’s final appreciation banquet, thanking all the people who have supported his ministry with RBM for over 45 years. There are approximately 600 individuals who have signed up to attend, all excited to hear about the past and present ministry of Bob Beery, as well as to hear the plan for the future. My dad is retiring next year, and that means that the network accessing 30 public schools, which he has worked so…

What does it mean to be made in God’s image? I’ve heard a variety of answers to this question, the most common being that humans have the gifts of emotion, intellect and will. This answer has never been satisfying to me. I’m pretty sure my daughter’s cat functions with all three of those characteristics. Biblically speaking, there seems to be a much richer answer. Then God said, “Let us make man in our image, after our likeness. And let them…

Jesus often called Himself the “Son of Man,” which is a title that comes from Daniel chapter 7. After a vivid dream about four, increasingly dangerous beasts (human kings who have become utterly evil) coming up from the sea, Daniel says, I saw someone like a son of man coming with the clouds of heaven. He approached the Ancient One and was led into his presence. He was given authority, honor, and sovereignty over all the nations of the world,…

I just finished the book Servant of All: Status, Ambition, and the Way of Jesus by Craig Hill. Here are a few quotes from the book well worth thinking about: “The brain devotes considerable resources to determining one’s place in the group. Maintaining high status is something that the brain seems to work on all the time subconsciously. Increases in status release rewards of serotonin, dopamine, and testosterone. The opportunity to increase status is therefore a potent motivator. People are willing to…

In 2 Corinthians 4, the apostle Paul provides five insights regarding humility. First, God’s mercy leads to humility, and humility leads to endurance (4:1-2). The phrase, “by the mercy of God” is the reason for both surrounding phrases (4:1). So it is “by the mercy of God” that “we have this ministry” (humility), and it is “by the mercy of God” we do not lose heart (endurance). Along with that, Paul also says that humility causes us to proclaim all…

Sunday evenings our high school students are reading through the Old Testament. This Sunday we’ll finish the book of Numbers. A well-known incident is when Moses acts in disobedience and strikes the rock (Num. 20:10-13). We can learn a few important things here. I learned these from Irwin Lutzer at a seminar at Moody’s Pastor’s Conference in Chicago in 2016. First, disobedience is an assault on the holiness of God. God said Moses disobeyed and did not regard God as…

Have you ever noticed the very first words of the book of Leviticus? “The LORD called Moses and spoke to him from the tent of meeting” (Leviticus 1:1). Don’t miss that important preposition “from.” Why is Moses still outside the tent? Why isn’t he inside talking to God? Moses and the people followed the instructions for the tabernacle (Exodus 24-31) and built it exactly how God said. Now that it’s all complete, why doesn’t Moses go in? Because he can’t.…

In her book, “Liturgy of the Ordinary,” Tish Warren writes, “There are a few very good meals I remember and there are a few truly terrible meals I remember. But most of the meals I’ve eaten, thousands upon thousands, were utterly unremarkable…And yet that average, forgettable meal nourished me. Thousands of forgotten meals have brought me to today. They’ve sustained my life. They were my daily bread.” Eugene Peterson adds, “There is little enthusiasm for the patient acquisition of true…

As we work our way through the book of Hebrews on Sunday mornings, we certainly notice the author’s emphases on perseverance and obedience. He has warned us several times about avoiding the dangers of falling away from Jesus (2:1; 3:7-4:13; 5:11-6:8). Many readers begin to wonder, “How do I know my salvation in Jesus is secure? Why does Hebrews make me feel so uncomfortable? Are these warning legitimate? Or are they theoretical? Do they really apply to us?” About five…