July 13, 2025

God and Caesar — Matthew 22:15-22

God and Caesar

Matthew 22:15-22

In this section of Matthew’s Gospel, Jesus has just rebuked the religious leaders in Jerusalem for their unbelief through a series of three parables. And Matthew 21:45-46 tells us their attitude when Jesus taught these parables:

Now when the chief priests and Pharisees heard His parables, they perceived that He was speaking of them. But when they sought to lay hands on Him, they feared the multitudes, because they took Him for a prophet. (Matthew 21:45-46).

Now they retaliate by trying to ensnare Jesus with trick questions. They plot together to confront our Lord—all with the intention of trapping Him in His words. They bring three challenges to Him in here in Matthew 22. They first ask about paying taxes to Caesar, then about the resurrection, and thirdly about the greatest commandment. Each of these question were calculated to damage the popularity of Jesus and to find a reason to condemn Him. In all three attempts, Jesus answers them in such a way as to make them marvel, and to leave them with nothing more they can say.

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Richard Sipes / Sermons / Government, Jesus Christ, Kingdom of God, Matthew, Taxes, Worship / 0

July 6, 2025

The Parable of the Wedding Banquet – Matthew 22:1-14

The Parable of the Wedding Banquet

Matthew 22:1-14

The events in Matthew 22 take place during the last week of Jesus’ life. Earlier in the week, Jesus had come into the city of Jerusalem while His disciples and other Jews praised Him as the Messiah and King. The next day, Jesus went into the temple and cleansed it, driving out those who had made His Father’s house a marketplace and a den of thieves. The following day, He’s back in the temple teaching the people when the chief priests and elders confront Him about His authority to do these things. And He silenced them, as He always did. And then Jesus spoke three parables, one right after the other.

In the parable of the two sons, Jesus condemned their hypocrisy and unbelief, saying, “Assuredly, I say to you that tax collectors and harlots enter the kingdom of God before you…” (Matt. 21:31), because they believed, but you did not repent and believe (Matt. 21:32). Then in the parable of the vineyard, He exposed their treachery and told them, “Therefore I say to you, the kingdom of God will be taken from you and given to a nation bearing the fruits of it.” (Matt. 21:43).

Now, in the parable of the wedding banquet, Jesus explains that statement.

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Richard Sipes / Sermons / Matthew / 0

June 29, 2025

Praying for Jerusalem’s Peace – Psalm 122

At our Wednesday night prayer meeting, we have started to look at Psalms 120 – 134, the “songs of ascents”. Another name for them might be “songs for going up” or “songs for the journey”. In ancient Israel, they were probably sung by travelers making their way to Jerusalem for the annual feasts. Jerusalem was a high point in the land of Palestine, and as they journeyed, they were literally “ascending”. And these songs we intended to help them also ascend spiritually as they joined together in song and prepared their hearts to worship the Lord.

I intended to share some thoughts about Psalm 122 on Wednesday, but didn’t make it back in time due to some car trouble As I read this psalm and you follow along, I want you to see if you can pick out a key word or idea in this psalm. The very first verse captures some of the excitement, the anticipation, of the psalmist preparing for the journey. “I was glad when they said to me, “Let us go into the house of the Lord.”” (Psalm 122:1).

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Richard Sipes / Fifth Sunday, Sermons / Fifth Sunday Sing, Joy, Psalms, Worship / 0

June 15, 2025

Parable of the Vineyard – Matthew 21:33-46

Parable of the Vineyard

Matthew 21:33-46

The parable of the vineyard is the second of three parables in a row that Jesus spoke as He was being confronted by the chief priests and elders of the Jews in the temple. It was just a couple of days after He made His triumphal entry into the city, and a couple of days before His death on the cross. In the temple this last week, Jesus had cleansed the temple, healed the blind and lame in its courts, received worship in it as Messiah, and taught the people within its walls.[1] The religious leaders refused to recognize Jesus’ authority to do these things, asking Him, “By what authority are You doing these things? And who gave You this authority?” (Matt. 21:23).

When the chief priests and elders refused to answer Jesus’ counter-question about the authority of John’s baptism, He declined to answer their question about His authority. If they had repented and recognized John’s authority from God, they would have had the answer about Jesus’ authority. Yet, Jesus doesn’t just drop the matter. He tells a series of parables and continues to question them in order to highlight the real issue, namely their stubborn refusal to repent and believe.

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Richard Sipes / Sermons / Jesus Christ, Judgment, Matthew, Parables / 2

June 8, 2025

The Parable of the Two Sons – Matthew 21:28-32

The Parable of the Two Sons

Matthew 21:28-32

Context

Our passage today from Matthew 21 is the first of three parables that Jesus spoke to the chief priests and elders in Jerusalem. We have already seen in Matthew 21 how Jesus’ actions and words have provoked the religious leaders in Jerusalem. First, Jesus rode into the city of Jerusalem on a donkey’s colt while the people declared Him to be the Messiah and King (Matt. 21:8-11). He had purposefully arranged the details carefully to fulfill the prophecy of Zechariah 9:9, thus, proclaiming Himself to be the King of the Jews (Matt. 21:1-7). Next, Jesus entered into the temple and overturned the tables of those buying and selling there, saying “It is written, ‘My house shall be called a house of prayer,’ but you have made it a ‘den of thieves.’ ” (Mat. 21:13). In so doing, Jesus stood against their hypocrisy and false worship.

Jesus then showed what true faith in God looks like when He healed the blind and lame in the temple and received the praise of children over the objections of the chief priests and scribes (Matt. 21:14-16). Then, He cursed the fig tree as a sign of God’s judgment coming on the Israelites for their lack of fruit and lack of faith.

In Matthew 21:23, the chief priests and elders in the temple pushed back, confronting Jesus in the temple and asking Him, “By what authority are You doing these things? And who gave You this authority?” It was an insincere question designed to trap Jesus and accuse Him. But Jesus, knowing their unbelieving hearts, didn’t fall for it. Instead, He turned the tables on them and asked about John’s baptism, was it from heaven or from men? (Matt. 21:25). Jesus said if they answer His question, He would answer theirs (Matt. 21:24). In fact, if they truly answered Jesus’ question, it would answer their own question because John had testified that Jesus was the Christ and the Son of God. But they did not want to recognize Jesus’ authority, so they answered, “We do not know” (Matt. 21:27). Therefore, Jesus would not tell these unbelieving leaders the answer to their question either.

Yet Jesus doesn’t simply drop the matter. Instead, He tells a series of parables and continues to question them in order to highlight the real issue, namely their stubborn refusal to repent and believe.

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Richard Sipes / Sermons / faith, Matthew, Parables, Repentance / 2

June 5, 2025

How to Study Your Bible, Part 2 (Psalm 119:1-8)

How to Study Your Bible, Part 2

If you haven’t read Part1, you missed the Introduction and Bible Study Step #1: Prayerfully Read the Text in Context. Then go to Part 3.

Click to: Download the PDF handout

Bible Study Step #2 – Observe the Text in Detail.

The way we read and study the Bible flows from what the Bible is. The Bible declares about itself that all scripture is inspired by God (2 Tim. 3:16), that it is our spiritual food (Matt. 4:4), that it gives life (John 6:63), that it makes us wise for salvation through faith in Christ (2 Tim. 3:15), and that it is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, and for instruction in righteousness (2 Tim. 3:17). If we believe that, then we will want to get the most out of it.

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Richard Sipes / Bible Study, How to Study Your Bible / Bible Study / 0

June 5, 2025

How to Study Your Bible, Part 1 (Psalm 119:1-8)

How to Study Your Bible, Part 1

Click here to download PDF: How to Study the Bible Part 1 handout

Introduction:

Probably most of you have heard the adage, “Give a man a fish, and you feed him for a day. Teach a man to fish, and you feed him for a lifetime.” It’s more beneficial in the long run to provide knowledge and skills to help someone help themselves than to give them a direct solution or a handout. Applying this idea to Bible study, I suggest that although it is good for me to spoon-feed you the truth of God’s word, it is better for you if I can teach you how to feed yourself the word of God. Peter writes,

“Therefore, laying aside all malice, all deceit, hypocrisy, envy, and all evil speaking, as newborn babes, desire the pure milk of the word, that you may grow thereby, if indeed you have tasted that the Lord is gracious.” (1 Peter 2:1-3).

What does that scripture say should be the desire of all born again believers?

What benefit does feeding on the word of God have for us?

We are certainly privileged to live in a time and place where the Bible is so available to us. We not only have access to the word of God in our own language (which many in the past and even today have not), but we even have multiple good translations and study bibles available. We are privileged that most of us today are literate. Yet even with all this available, I fear that many Christians today are spiritually malnourished because they either lack the motivation or the skills to feed themselves.

What do you want to accomplish in this series of lessons?

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Richard Sipes / Bible Study, How to Study Your Bible / Bible Study / 0

June 1, 2025

The Authority of Jesus – Matthew 21:23-27

The Authority of Jesus

Matthew 21:23-27

The section of Matthew’s Gospel (chapters 21-23) describes the confrontations that Jesus had with the religious leaders of Israel only days before He was betrayed into the hands of evil men and nailed to the cross. We have already seen in Matthew 21 how Jesus’ actions and words have provoked the religious leaders in Jerusalem. First, Jesus came into the city of Jerusalem, riding on a donkey in the midst of a procession which was declaring Him to be King! He arranged the details carefully, so that He would ride into Jerusalem upon a donkey in accordance with the prophecy made in Zechariah 9:9. In so doing, Jesus was proclaiming Himself to be the King of the Jews. Next, Jesus entered into the temple and overturned the tables of the moneychangers, who were seeking to make a profit with their religion, saying “It is written, ‘My house shall be called a house of prayer,’ but you have made it a‘den of thieves.’ ” (Mat. 21:13). In so doing, Jesus stood against the false worship in the Jewish religious system. Then, by cursing the fruitless fig tree, Jesus taught His disciples about the false and fruitless profession of religion without faith in Him.

As you can imagine, Jesus’ actions and words in Jerusalem provoked a response from the religious leaders there. They had to respond to Jesus. Would they respond favorably by repenting of their evil deeds and believing in Him? Or would they continue to resist the word of God, refuse to believe in Jesus as the Messiah, and seek to destroy Him?

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Richard Sipes / Sermons / Authority, Matthew / 0

June 1, 2025

Why the Bible Is Essential (2 Timothy 3:16-17)

⁷ The law of the LORD is perfect, converting the soul;
The testimony of the LORD is sure, making wise the simple;
⁸ The statutes of the LORD are right, rejoicing the heart;
The commandment of the LORD is pure, enlightening the eyes;
⁹ The fear of the LORD is clean, enduring forever;
The judgments of the LORD are true and righteous altogether.
¹⁰ More to be desired are they than gold, Yea, than much fine gold;
Sweeter also than honey and the honeycomb.
¹¹ Moreover by them Your servant is warned,
And in keeping them there is great reward. (Psalm 19:7-11).

What would you think if you heard God was publishing a book? What would you expect from such a book?

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Richard Sipes / Bible Study / Bible, Inspiration, Scripture / 0

May 25, 2025

Lessons from the Fig Tree – Matthew 21:18-22

Lessons from the Fig Tree

Matthew 21:18-22

In Matthew 21, we are following the events of the final week of Jesus’ earthly ministry before He went to the cross. It began in Matthew 21:1-11 with Jesus’ triumphal entrance into Jerusalem riding on the colt of a donkey in fulfillment of scripture. Then we saw Jesus go into the temple and cleanse it of the money changers and those who were buying and selling, saying, “It is written, ‘My house shall be called a house of prayer,’ but you have made it a ‘den of thieves.’ ” (Matt. 21:13). The temple off God was full of hypocrisy, extortion, greed, and deceit. What should have been a house of prayer had become a den of robbers.

Jesus then healed the blind and the lame and received the praise of the children. thus fulfilling prophecies about His true Messiahship. He then left the temple and spent the night in Bethany near the Mount of Olives.

In Matthew 21:18, Jesus is returning to the city of Jerusalem. He will go back into the temple (Matt. 21:23) where the religious leaders will question His authority (Matt. 21:23-27). Then Jesus will teach two parables: the parable of the two sons (Matt. 21:28-32), and the parable of the tenants (Matt. 21:33-46). The first is a man who says he will work and then doesn’t. The second is a group of men who say they will produce fruit from the vineyard and then don’t. The last parable is the climax of the section, illustrating that Christ has been rejected by His own fruitless people, and so the kingdom will be taken from them and given to a people who will bear its fruit.

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Richard Sipes / Sermons / faith, Jesus Christ, Judgment, Matthew, Prayer / 4

God and Caesar

Matthew 22:15-22

The Parable of the Wedding Banquet

Matthew 22:1-14

Praying for Jerusalem’s Peace – Psalm 122

Parable of the Vineyard

Matthew 21:33-46

The Parable of the Two Sons

Matthew 21:28-32

Context

How to Study Your Bible, Part 2

Bible Study Step #2 – Observe the Text in Detail.

How to Study Your Bible, Part 1

Click here to download PDF: How to Study the Bible Part 1 handout

Introduction:

The Authority of Jesus

Matthew 21:23-27

Why the Bible Is Essential (2 Timothy 3:16-17)

Lessons from the Fig Tree

Matthew 21:18-22

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