Main Text: Ecclesiastes 12:13-14 (ESV) 13 The end of the matter; all has been heard. Fear God and keep his commandments, for this is the whole duty of man. 14For God will bring every deed into judgment, with every secret thing, whether good or evil.

Preaching Point: Fulfill your life's purpose by fearing God and obeying His commandments, while keeping the final judgment in view.

Teaching Points:

1. Make Fearing God a Non-Negotiable (v. 13a)
2. Make Obedience a Non-Negotiable (v. 13b)
3. Live in light of Your Final Evaluation (v. 14)

Main Text: Matthew 16:24–28 (ESV) 24 Then Jesus told his disciples, “If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me. 25 For whoever would save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake will find it. 26 For what will it profit a man if he gains the whole world and forfeits his soul? Or what shall a man give in return for his soul? 27 For the Son of Man is going to come with his angels in the glory of his Father, and then he will repay each person according to what he has done. 28 Truly, I say to you, there are some standing here who will not taste death until they see the Son of Man coming in his kingdom.”

Preaching Point: Every Christian must willingly accept the costs associated with following Jesus, knowing that the sacrifices made in this life pale in comparison to the benefits of eternity in God’s Kingdom.

Teaching Points:

1. Ask: Am I Really Following Jesus? V24
2. Soberly Evaluate the High Price of Living for Yourself vv25-26
3. Live with Your Final Recompense in Mind vv27-28

Title: The King’s Authority and World Opposition: The King of the Unstoppable Kingdom

Text: Matthew 16:13–20 (ESV)

13 Now when Jesus came into the district of Caesarea Philippi, he asked his disciples, “Who do people say that the Son of Man is?” 14 And they said, “Some say John the Baptist, others say Elijah, and others Jeremiah or one of the prophets.” 15 He said to them, “But who do you say that I am?” 16 Simon Peter replied, “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.” 17 And Jesus answered him, “Blessed are you, Simon Bar-Jonah! For flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but my Father who is in heaven. 18 And I tell you, you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it. 19 I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven, and whatever you bind on earth shall be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven.” 20 Then he strictly charged the disciples to tell no one that he was the Christ.

Main Point: To make a real difference for God’s Kingdom, deepen your love for Him first.

Teaching Points:

1. Love God for Who He is (vv. 13-17)
2. Love God as You Serve Him (vv. 18-19)
3. Love God as You Wait (v. 20)

Title: The Gospel

Main Text: Galatians 5:19-21; 1 Corinthians 6:9-11; Matthew 15:18-20: Acts 26:18; Mark 1:14-15; Acts 20:18-21; Galatians 5:22-25; 2 Corinthians 5:17; Titus 2:11-14; Acts 2:22-41; and Romans 1:16-17.

Preaching Point: The good news that Christ bore our judgment on the cross should cause us to take sin seriously, turn from it, and trust that Jesus absorbed the wrath we deserve and gives us His righteousness.

Title: The King’s Authority and Worldly Opposition: Fragile Faith and False Teachers

Main Text: Matthew 16:5–12 (ESV) 5 When the disciples reached the other side, they had forgotten to bring any bread. 6 Jesus said to them, “Watch and beware of the leaven of the Pharisees and Sadducees.” 7 And they began discussing it among themselves, saying, “We brought no bread.” 8 But Jesus, aware of this, said, “O you of little faith, why are you discussing among yourselves the fact that you have no bread? 9 Do you not yet perceive? Do you not remember the five loaves for the five thousand, and how many baskets you gathered? 10 Or the seven loaves for the four thousand, and how many baskets you gathered? 11How is it that you fail to understand that I did not speak about bread? Beware of the leaven of the Pharisees and Sadducees.” 12 Then they understood that he did not tell them to beware of the leaven of bread, but of the teaching of the Pharisees and Sadducees.

Preaching Point: In a world flooded with dangerous and deceptive teaching, we must continue maturing in our faith or risk being swept away by error.

Teaching Points:

1. Identify Your Twofold Danger vv5-7
2. Make Your Spiritual Maturity a Priority vv8-11a
3. Put Your Spiritual Maturity to Work vv11b-12

Main Text: Matthew 16:1–4 (ESV) 1 And the Pharisees and Sadducees came, and to test him they asked him to show them a sign from heaven. 2 He answered them, “When it is evening, you say, ‘It will be fair weather, for the sky is red.’ 3 And in the morning, ‘It will be stormy today, for the sky is red and threatening.’ You know how to interpret the appearance of the sky, but you cannot interpret the signs of the times. 4 An evil and adulterous generation seeks for a sign, but no sign will be given to it except the sign of Jonah.” So he left them and departed.

Preaching Point: We must reject the temptation to demand more signs from God and place our confidence in the ultimate sign He has already provided in the death and resurrection of Christ.

Teaching Points:

1. Expose the Intent Behind Sign Seeking v1
2. Beware of Spiritual Blindness vv2-3
3. Focus on God’s Ultimate Sign v4

Main Text: Galatians 5:16-26 (ESV) 16 But I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh. 17 For the desires of the flesh are against the Spirit, and the desires of the Spirit are against the flesh, for these are opposed to each other, to keep you from doing the things you want to do. 18 But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under the law. 19 Now the works of the flesh are evident: sexual immorality, impurity, sensuality, 20 idolatry, sorcery, enmity, strife, jealousy, fits of anger, rivalries, dissensions, divisions, 21 envy, drunkenness, orgies, and things like these. I warn you, as I warned you before, that those who do such things will not inherit the kingdom of God. 22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23 gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law. 24 And those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires. 25 If we live by the Spirit, let us also keep in step with the Spirit. 26 Let us not become conceited, provoking one another, envying one another.

Preaching Point: Knowing that kindness is a byproduct of our faith should cause us to carefully define biblical kindness so we can commit to practicing it daily.

Teaching Points:

1. Start with God’s Definition of Kindness
2. Intentionally Employ Godly Kindness

Main Text: Matthew 15:10–20 (ESV) 10 And he called the people to him and said to them, “Hear and understand: 11 it is not what goes into the mouth that defiles a person, but what comes out of the mouth; this defiles a person.” 12 Then the disciples came and said to him, “Do you know that the Pharisees were offended when they heard this saying?” 13 He answered, “Every plant that my heavenly Father has not planted will be rooted up. 14 Let them alone; they are blind guides. And if the blind lead the blind, both will fall into a pit.” 15But Peter said to him, “Explain the parable to us.” 16 And he said, “Are you also still without understanding? 17Do you not see that whatever goes into the mouth passes into the stomach and is expelled? 18 But what comes out of the mouth proceeds from the heart, and this defiles a person. 19 For out of the heart come evil thoughts, murder, adultery, sexual immorality, theft, false witness, slander. 20 These are what defile a person. But to eat with unwashed hands does not defile anyone.”

Preaching Point: Because God sees beyond external behavioral modification, we must go beyond surface-level change and trust the purifying work of Christ to cleanse us from the inside out.

Teaching Points:

1. Determine What Actually Defiles You vv10-11
2. Direct Your Trust to the Right Leaders vv12-14
3. Deal with the Root Issue vv15-20