The greatest command is to love God. Sometimes we confuse this with loving our neighbor. We need to cultivate and develop our love for God. We can do this through reading his Word, speaking with him through prayer and making hard/unpopular moral decisions.
Jesus says that the Gates of Hades cannot resist the work of the church. Peter and his confession are the foundation of this church and Peter has the keys to the kingdom. But what does this mean? Bob makes the case that the keys unlock the ministry of the kingdom that is coming to earth---as God's will is done here as it is in heaven.
Jesus invites followers to come to him for rest. We carry so much that our load can often become a burden. Jesus offers an exchange: our heavy load for his light one.
Jesus tells disciples to follow him. This doesn't mean simply joining a religious group or following rules; it means following the way of Jesus no matter where it takes us.
Jesus tells John that he is being baptized to "fulfill all righteousness." But what does that mean? Bob uses other texts from Matthew to show that Jesus's baptism was an act of submission---telling Israel and God that he was fully submitting himself to God's agenda and purpose in the world.
Matthew calls Jesus the "Son of David" more than any other Gospel author. This designation is true, but it's not the whole story. In this message, Bob shows that people who call Jesus the Son of David only have a partial grasp on Jesus's identity of being God's son.
Jesus comes to tear down the barriers that stood between groups of people. Paul argues that this is central to the gospel story. But it has often been neglected in our gospel story. In this message, Bob reminds the church that the whole gospel creates a new community who is multicultural, and multiclass, and multigenerational
God is gracious in the Old Testament. But in the New Testament the grace becomes more costly, as it requires the blood of Jesus. In this message, Bob reminds us that greater love motivates us to greater sacrifice.
In Jeremiah 35, God uses a small band of nomads as a living object lesson for the people of Judah. The Recabites - descendents of Jonadab, son of Recab - aren't Israelites & they aren't exactly normal either. But for generations, they've continued to rigorously adhere to the seemingly random commands of their forefather. Their ability to simply "trust and obey"...to live lives of faithful commitment seems to be exactly what God is looking for from His people.