Through the Bible - Matthew

Pastor Nate Holdridge turns to the moment when Jesus—who has just called himself gentle and lowly—reveals himself as the strong warrior-King who invades enemy territory to set captives free. When Jesus heals a demon-oppressed man and the crowds wonder whether he could be the Son of David, the Pharisees credit his power to Beelzebul, and Jesus answers by showing what he does (liberate the bound by binding the strong man), how he does it (by the power of the Holy Spirit), and why he does it (to make bad trees into good trees through conversion). Pastor Nate walks through the sobering warning about blasphemy of the Holy Spirit, the diagnostic truth that our words expose our hearts, and the hope of the gospel: that every sin can be forgiven and that Christ himself makes us new at the root so that good fruit follows. It is an invitation to celebrate the King who plunders the house of the enemy on our behalf.

Pastor Nate Holdridge asks a deceptively simple question: how can Jesus call his yoke easy and his burden light when the life he describes is a narrow gate and a difficult way? The answer is found in who is yoked to us. Working through two Sabbath confrontations and the longest Old Testament quotation in Matthew's Gospel, Pastor Nate shows that Jesus is the true King, Priest, Prophet, and Lord—the one greater than David, greater than the temple, and lord of the Sabbath itself (Matthew 12:6-8). Against the Pharisees, who turned God's day of rest into an exhausting treadmill, Jesus reveals a heart that treasures mercy over ceremony (Hosea 6:6), loves to restore the broken, and does so gently, never breaking a bruised reed or quenching a smoldering wick (Matthew 12:20). For anyone weary of life with Jesus as burden, this is an invitation to genuine soul-rest in the gentle Servant who steps into the yoke beside us.

Pastor Nate Holdridge walks through three surprising portraits of Christ from a single passage: Jesus the Judge, who denounces the towns that witnessed his mighty works yet remained indifferent; Jesus the Revealer, the exclusive door through whom the Father is known and who hides truth from the proud while unveiling it to the lowly; and Jesus the Rest Giver, who invites all who are weary and burdened to come to him. Pastor Nate presses the sobering weight of spiritual privilege—greater light brings greater responsibility—while holding out the tender invitation of the One who is gentle and lowly in heart. This is not a call to escape our burdens but to trade them for the easy yoke of Jesus, learning to walk his way and find rest for our souls.

Executive Pastor Manny Collazo from Calvary Church continues our study through the book of Matthew.

Pastor Nate Holdridge walks through Matthew 10:26–42, where Jesus calls his disciples away from the universal craving for safety and comfort and toward a life of danger and reward. Working through three movements—Jesus stood for us, so we stand for him (Matthew 10:26–33); Jesus lost his life for us, so we lose our lives for him (Matthew 10:34–39); and Jesus brought a message to us, so we receive his messengers (Matthew 10:40–42)—we learn how rightly ordered fear, trust in a Father who values us more than many sparrows, and the memory of the cross free us to acknowledge Christ before others. Along the way we’ll confront our region's invitation to curate the good life, clarify what Jesus means by bringing "a sword" into our households, and stand reminded that loving Christ above all is the best gift we can give our families. Because he stood for us, lost his life for us, and sent his word to us, Jesus is worthy of our wholehearted trust—all the way.