January 14, 2026

30 Days of Prayer for the Harvest – Day 3

30 Days of Prayer for the Harvest

Day 3 – Wednesday, January 14, 2026

This is day 3 of our 30 days of concentrated prayer for a harvest of souls for Christ. Our theme verse is Luke 10:2, “The harvest truly is great, but the laborers are few; therefore pray the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into His harvest.” (Luke 10:2). (Click to see Day 1, Day2).

On day 1, we looked at Jesus’ ministry to the lost in Matthew 9:35. Day 2, we saw Jesus’ compassion for the lost in Matthew 9:36. Today we consider …

Today’s Devotional: Jesus’ Call to Prayer for the Lost

Read Matthew 9:35-38

³⁵ Then Jesus went about all the cities and villages, teaching in their synagogues, preaching the gospel of the kingdom, and healing every sickness and every disease among the people. ³⁶ But when He saw the multitudes, He was moved with compassion for them, because they were weary and scattered, like sheep having no shepherd. ³⁷ Then He said to His disciples, “The harvest truly is plentiful, but the laborers are few. ³⁸ “Therefore pray the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into His harvest.”

Jesus saw the crowds. He felt compassion for them, because they were as sheep without a shepherd. Then Matthew 9:37-38 says,

“Then He said to His disciples, ‘The harvest truly is plentiful, but the laborers are few. Therefore pray the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into His harvest.’”

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Richard Sipes / 30 Days of Prayer / 30 Days of Prayer / 0

January 13, 2026

30 Days of Prayer for the Harvest Day 2

30 Days of Prayer for the Harvest

Day 2 – Tuesday, January 13, 2026

This is day 2 of our 30 days of concentrated prayer for a harvest of souls for Christ. Our theme verse is Luke 10:2, “The harvest truly is great, but the laborers are few; therefore pray the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into His harvest.” (Luke 10:2). (Click to see Day 1).

Today’s Devotional and Prayer

Read Matthew 9:35-38

Yesterday, we looked at Jesus’ ministry to the lost in Matthew 9:35. Today, we see Jesus’ compassion for the lost in Matthew 9:36.

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Richard Sipes / 30 Days of Prayer / 30 Days of Prayer / 0

January 12, 2026

30 Days of Prayer for the Harvest – Day 1

30 Days of Prayer for the Harvest

Over the next 30 days, I invite you to join me in concentrated prayer for a harvest of souls for Christ. Jesus said to those He sent to proclaim His kingdom, “The harvest truly is great, but the laborers are few; therefore pray the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into His harvest.” (Luke 10:2).

As we start 2026, what will we do differently as individual believers and as a church that will have a kingdom impact on our community? We all know that what our families, neighborhoods, and cities need is Jesus Christ. But what are we doing to see people come to Christ for salvation?

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Richard Sipes / 30 Days of Prayer / 30 Days of Prayer, Prayer / 0

January 11, 2026

Our Failure and Christ’s Faithfulness – Matthew 26:31-46

Our Failure and Christ’s Faithfulness

Matthew 26:31-46

To encourage a timid young preacher, Paul wrote to him the timeless truth, “If we are faithless, He remains faithful; He cannot deny Himself.” (2 Timothy 2:13). This fragment from an ancient hymn resounds with powerful truth for us today. We all know that we are prone to faithlessness. Robert Robinson in his hymn Come Thou Fount of Every Blessing (1758) expressed his own faithlessness, “Prone to wander, Lord, I feel it, Prone to leave the God I love.”[1] I don’t suppose there has ever been a follower of Jesus who has not at some time been faithless or failed the Lord. The Bible is very transparent about the failures of even its most famous men of faith. Noah, a man who was called “a righteous man, blameless in his generation” (Gen. 6:9, ESV), was guilty of drunkenness (Gen. 9:21). Abraham, the father of faith (Rom. 4:16), feared for his life and practiced deception (Gen. 12, 20). Moses, the great law-giver, disbelieved the Lord and disobeyed in his anger (Num. 20:11-12). David, a man after God’s own heart (1 Sam. 13:14), committed adultery and murder (2 Sam. 11).

In contrast to men’s failures, God is always faithful. Psalm 36:5 says, “Your mercy, O LORD, is in the heavens; Your faithfulness reaches to the clouds.” Psalm 89:1, “I will sing of the mercies of the LORD forever; With my mouth will I make known Your faithfulness to all generations.” And Jeremiah writes in Lamentations 3:22-23, “Through the LORD’s mercies we are not consumed, Because His compassions fail not. They are new every morning; Great is Your faithfulness.”

These two contrasts of our unfaithfulness and the faithfulness of God are nowhere better illustrated than in our text this morning, Matthew 26:31-46.

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Richard Sipes / Sermons / Jesus Christ, Matthew, Prayer, Temptation / 0

January 4, 2026

From Passover to the Lord’s Supper (Part 2) – Matthew 26:26-30

From Passover to the Lord’s Supper (Part 2)

Matthew 26:26-30

The first Sunday of every month at our church we observe the Lord’s Supper or Communion. We break the bread and we pass the cup as together we share this meal focused on Christ and the cross. I usually spend some time explaining Communion’s importance and meaning. But today, in our journey through Matthew, we will look specifically at how Jesus instituted it at His last Passover supper. I am delighted for us to take some extended time this morning to reflect and learn about this important part of our worship.

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Richard Sipes / Sermons / Lord's Supper, Matthew / 0

December 28, 2025

From Passover to the Lord’s Supper (Part 1) Matthew 26:17-25

From Passover to the Lord’s Supper (Part 1)

Matthew 26:17-25

In Matthew 26:1-16, we saw four preparations for the death of the Lord Jesus on the cross. His death came by God’s predetermined plan (Matt. 26:1-2); The Jewish leaders plotted to kill Him (Matt. 26:3-5); Mary perfumed by anointed Jesus (Matt. 26:6-13); and Judas prearranged to betray Jesus (Matt. 26:14-16).

In today’s passage, we see how Jesus Himself made some final preparations before the cross. He celebrated the last Passover feast with His disciples, and He instituted the first Lord’s Supper. Each of the Gospel writers emphasize different aspects of this last supper of Jesus with His disciples, but Matthew especially focuses on the plan of God. God was working out His sovereign plan of salvation as Jesus moved toward the cross.

Jesus’ death on the cross was no accident. It was a divine appointment. Our Lord was in absolute control over the events that surrounded His betrayal, arrest, trial and crucifixion. It all occurred under His sovereign authority, and in perfect obedience to His Father’s will.

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Richard Sipes / Sermons / God's Sovereignty, Matthew, Passover / 0

December 21, 2025

Preparation for the Cross – Matthew 26:1-16

Preparation for the Cross

Matthew 26:1-16

By turning the page to Matthew 26, we have come to the final section of this Gospel. Matthew has told of the virgin birth of the King. He has shown Christ’s mighty works, given us His authoritative teachings, and related His conflict with the Jewish authorities. Jesus’ ministry on earth is coming to an end. The only thing left is His passion—His suffering, death, and resurrection. I know it may seem unseasonal for us to be considering Jesus preparing for the cross on the Sunday before celebrating Christmas. This morning, we have sung about Christmas Day, the birth of the Lord Jesus, laid in a manger, with shepherds worshipping and angels proclaiming peace on earth.

So, doesn’t it seem strange to speak of suffering and death while singing with wonder and joy? Yet, knowing the story of Jesus as Matthew has presented it, we aren’t really surprised, are we? No one in the history of the world came with more profound irony than Jesus. Matthew knew it, and he recorded it frequently. The divine King of the universe was born in humble obscurity in the tiny town of Bethlehem. The true King of the Jews was forced to flee to Egypt from the earthly despot Herod. Jesus experienced hunger, but He fed the multitudes. He grew weary but gave rest to others. He was the Son of God but paid taxes and tribute at the temple. He was called a devil but freed those tormented by demons. He would not turn stones to bread to feed Himself but gave His life as bread for His people. The king is a servant.

Nowhere is this irony more poignant than in His passion. His enemies thought they were destroying Him, but in reality, they were fulfilling God’s plan to save the world. He was sold for thirty pieces of silver, but He gave His life a ransom for many. Soldiers crowned Him with thorns and scorned Him as “King of the Jews” but their mocking words were nonetheless true. They jeered, “He saved others; Himself He cannot save” (Matt. 27:42), yet He redeemed His people from their sins. He died the death of a sinner but gave life to all who believe in Him.

This is the message of the Gospel. The sinless Son of God, Christ Jesus, who was born to be the king, suffered the death of a sinner. This is the truth we celebrate at Christmas. The birth of Jesus would have no eternal meaning without His death and resurrection. This is why He came to earth as a man and lived among us as Emmanuel, God-with-us.

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Richard Sipes / Sermons / Cross, Matthew, Worship / 0

December 14, 2025

The Sheep and Goat Judgment Part 2 – Matthew 25:31-46

The Sheep and Goat Judgment Part 2

Matthew 25:31-46

Last time, we began to look at the sheep and goat judgment at the conclusion of Jesus’ Olivet Discourse, that portion of the Gospel of Matthew in which our Lord taught His disciples about His second coming. Throughout Matthew 24 and 25, Jesus has taught with the purpose of preparing His disciples for His return. He told them, “Watch therefore, for you do not know what hour your Lord is coming” (Matt. 24:42), and “Therefore you also be ready, for the Son of Man is coming at an hour you do not expect” (Matt. 24:44). He said they should be like “a faithful and wise servant … whom his master, when he comes, will find so doing [his master’s will]” (Matt. 24:45, 46).

In the parables of the ten virgins and the talents in Matthew 25, Jesus taught His disciples to be vigilant in their watching (Matt. 25:1-13) and diligent in their working (Matt. 25:14-30) as they faithfully await His return. In this last section of Matthew 25, Jesus described His glorious coming and used the illustration of a shepherd separating the sheep from the goats to portray the judgment of people from the nations at His coming.

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Richard Sipes / Sermons / Matthew / 0

December 7, 2025

The Sheep and Goat Judgment – Matthew 25:31-46

The Sheep and Goat Judgment

Matthew 25:31-46

Today, we come to the conclusion of the Olivet Discourse, that portion of the Gospel of Matthew in which our Lord taught His disciples about His second coming. After giving signs that will precede and accompany His coming, Jesus spent most of this discourse warning His disciples to watch and be ready for His coming (Matt. 24:42,44). He showed that His coming would be swift and unexpected like in the days of Noah (Matt. 24:37-42) or like a thief coming at night (Matt. 24:43-44). At the end of Matthew 24, Jesus said that His coming would be like a master returning to find a slave either faithfully doing the work that he was assigned, or a slave who neglected his duty and abused his authority (Matt. 24:45-51).

In Matthew 25, we have already studied two parables about the kingdom of heaven. Jesus said it would be like a wedding feast where the bridegroom is delayed. Some virgins were prepared for this by bringing extra oil for their lamps. Others did not prepare and were shut out. So Jesus taught His disciples, “Watch therefore, for you know neither the day nor the hour in which the Son of Man is coming.” (Matt. 25:13). Next, Jesus compared the kingdom to a master who entrusted his wealth to certain slaves. Some put the master’s money to work and produced a good return for him. One did not trust the master, so he buried his master’s money. When the master returned, he settled accounts with them, rewarding the faithful servants and casting the wicked, lazy servant into the outer darkness.

Do you see the common theme in all these illustrations that Jesus gave about His coming? When Jesus comes again He will come in judgment, separating the faithful righteous from the unbelieving wicked. Whether it is the wise virgins separated from the foolish virgins, the faithful servants separated from the wicked, or the sheep separated from the goats, this is the point that Jesus emphasized. His second coming is a day of reckoning when those who are not ready will be separated from those who are ready.

In our passage today, although Jesus uses the illustration of a shepherd separating the sheep from the goats, it does not read strictly like a parable. Rather, it is the startling description of Christ’s judgment at His second coming. In the other parables, there is a delay in the groom’s or the master’s coming, and the separation and judgment come at the end of the story. But in this last section, the Lord’s coming is featured first and the judgment consumes the entire teaching. It is all about that final day when Jesus returns and judges the righteous and the wicked, the saved and the lost, the sheep and the goats.

First, we see the …

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Richard Sipes / Sermons / Judgment, Matthew, Second Coming / 0

November 30, 2025

Give Thanks for Our Salvation – Psalm 107

Psalm 107 is a descriptive psalm of thanksgiving. It begins, “Oh, give thanks to the LORD, for He is good! For His mercy endures forever.” (Psalm 107:1). To give thanks (יָדָה yāḏâ) carries the idea of “extending the hands in praise.”[i] The psalmist calls us to thanksgiving because Yahweh, the LORD, is good. We are to praise Him for His “mercy”, or faithful lovingkindness, “endures forever”.

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Richard Sipes / Fifth Sunday, Sermons / Psalms, Thanksgiving / 0

30 Days of Prayer for the Harvest

Day 3 – Wednesday, January 14, 2026

Today’s Devotional: Jesus’ Call to Prayer for the Lost

30 Days of Prayer for the Harvest

Day 2 – Tuesday, January 13, 2026

Today’s Devotional and Prayer

Read Matthew 9:35-38

30 Days of Prayer for the Harvest

Our Failure and Christ’s Faithfulness

Matthew 26:31-46

From Passover to the Lord’s Supper (Part 2)

Matthew 26:26-30

From Passover to the Lord’s Supper (Part 1)

Matthew 26:17-25

Preparation for the Cross

Matthew 26:1-16

The Sheep and Goat Judgment Part 2

Matthew 25:31-46

The Sheep and Goat Judgment

Matthew 25:31-46

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