Sermons by Matt Heerema (Page 2)
Matt serves as lead pastor, and focuses on teaching, leadership, and theological development. He and his wife Nancy have four daughters. He is a musician and led in Stonebrook’s music ministry for 15 years before putting the guitar down. Matt is an avid reader and massive sci-fi geek.
Revelation 19: The Victory of the Lamb over the Beasts
Please turn with me to Revelation chapter 19. Today is Easter Sunday, Resurrection Sunday, and it might seem a little strange that our text for the morning is Revelation 19. But we made the decision not to take time out of this important series for this week, but rather, we worked to schedule the series so that chapter 19 fell on this morning, because in our chapter today, we get to see a powerful image of the risen Jesus, and…
Revelation 17 & 18: Fallen! Fallen is Babylon the Great!
Please open your Bibles to Revelation chapter 17. We are now down the home stretch of this great book. We’re on week 12 of 16 of this series. And it has been a wild ride! Last week we Brad taught through chapters 15 and 16—the seven bowls of judgement, which depict the final pouring out of God’s wrath on an unbelieving world on judgement day. Where John goes next in this book is sort of a zoom-out, with a series…
Revelation 14: The Lamb’s Book of Life and the 144,000
Last week we read a startling passage about two beasts who make war on God’s people. We learned that “the whole world” worship the beast, that is, all those “whose name was not written from the foundation of the world in the book of life of the Lamb…” This week we will study Revelation Chapter 14 where we get to learn who these people are, and be encouraged that as we maintain our faith in Christ, that we will find the courage and endurance to follow him, wherever He goes, even in the face of beastly opposition.
Revelation 13: The False Trinity Part 2: The Beasts
Last week, we studied Revelation 12 where John introduces the enemy of God’s people: The Dragon, Satan. This week we will study Revelation 13 where we are introduced to the other two members of “The False Trinity”: The Sea Beast and the Land Beast, traditionally considered The Antichrist and The False Prophet. In chapter 12, the dragon is described as “making war on the offspring of the woman” — in Chapter 13, we see how he does that: through the beasts.
Revelation 12: The False Trinity, Part 1: The Dragon
This week, John introduces us to the true enemy of the church: The Devil. Characterized as a Red Red Dragon who makes war on the offspring (The church) of the woman (Israel). Next week, we will finish this section by being introduced to the other two members of the false trinity, two beasts empowered by satan to spread a false message and to enforce adherence to the false message. Through it we will see God’s promise that though we are under attack, we will be ultimately protected, and the dragon and his beasts are doomed, and have no real lasting power.
Revelation 10 & 11: No More Delay
This week we reach the center point of the book of Revelation, an interlude between the 6th and seventh trumpets. John sees a vision of a huge, mighty angel who commissions him to prophesy against many peoples, nations, languages, and kings, and then he hears a strange combination of things about temples, altars, and martyrs, and finally the seventh trumpet sounds, announcing Christ’s final triumph. Join us as we discuss the meaning of these strange details, and find great encouragement in their relevance for our daily life!
Revelation 4 & 5: Jesus Is Worthy!
This week we get to follow John up into the Throne Room of Heaven and see a vivid depiction of our glorious, triune God. We will join in a heavenly worship service as we see that Jesus, the Lion of Judah, the Root of David, the slaughtered lamb who is alive and reigns over heaven and earth, is the only one in all creation worthy to unseal God’s book and oversee the course of history.
Chapter 1: Jesus’s Revelation
This week we kick off our 16 week walkthrough of one of the most enigmatic and evocative books in the whole Bible. Revelation. Join us as we begin to explore a book that was written to bless, strengthen, and encourage the first century church, as well as every church and every believer through ages, including us today, and every church to come (possibly for ages more!), until Christ finally returns just as He promises. Our hope is that you’ll be able to approach this book with fresh eyes to see what is clearly in it. This is “The Revelation of Jesus”, encouraging weary saints by showing us our Victorious Savior!
The Prince of Peace
The wonderful prophecy about Jesus in Isaiah 9 declares that He is our “wonderful counselor” and our “prince of peace.” This week, we will discuss how Christ promises to bring us peace through prayer. This promise can feel hard to believe sometimes, but as we look at Christ’s example, we can find the encouragement and grace we need as we strive for peace in our souls.
Christmas!
Join us on Christmas morning as we reflect on the greatest and most needed gift we’ve been given: Jesus. Come witness a Christmas miracle as Matt shares a brief sermon!! (In a hoodie and jeans and sneakers no less…) :) He will share with us one of the amazing things that can happen as we pray to our Wonderful Counselor.
The Story of God and Man Part 11: Kingdom Consummation
This week we will wrap up the Story of God and Man series, and at the same time kick off the Advent season by reflecting on the glorious promise that Jesus is coming back! Join us as we remind each other of the good news that He is coming back soon to judge, to heal, and to rule forever.
The Story of God and Man Part 4: Promise and Covenant
In the biblical recounting creation, man’s rebellion, and the judgement of God through the flood, mankind’s core problem is starting to come into focus: “the inclination of the human heart is evil from youth onward” (Genesis 8:21 CSB). This week we focus on God’s initiation of a rescue plan to deliver humanity from their slavery to sin: by making a covenant with Abraham that will bless the whole world. In this, we will see God’s covenant-making with mankind is the framework of the entire Bible, helping us make sense of even the confusing stories and prophecies of the Old Testament: God offers a covenant relationship to humanity. How will we respond?
The Story of God and Man Part 1: Creation
For our culture today, the most controversial thing Christians believe is that each of us was created by Almighty God, who designs and reveals our identity and purpose, and to whom we owe love, worship, and obedience. We are not our own. We belong to God. Join us this week as we marvel at the glorious truth of our wonderful, sovereign, loving creator, and the impact of that reality on our daily life.
Luke 24 & Acts 1,2 -Brothers, What Shall We Do?
A Look Back at Luke 1 Inasmuch as many have undertaken to compile a narrative of the things that have been accomplished among us, 2 just as those who from the beginning were eyewitnesses and ministers of the word have delivered them to us, 3 it seemed good to me also, having followed all things closely for some time past, to write an orderly account for you, most excellent Theophilus, 4 that you may have certainty concerning the things you…
Luke 22:66-23:25 – The Trials of Jesus and the Wisdom of the Crowds
This week we come to one of the most confounding scenes in the gospel narrative, Jesus’s trial before the Jewish Council, Pilate, Herod, and the Crowds. We see Jesus rightly identified as The Son of God, the Messiah, the King of the universe. We see him falsely accused of crimes he did not commit. We see him acquitted by both Jewish and Roman political authorities. But we see him taken away by the crowd to be murdered. In all this we get a glimpse into our own sinful hearts, and marvel at Jesus’s mission to save the world.
Luke 21 – The Coming Destruction
In his account of Jesus’s entry to Jerusalem to finish his earthly mission, Luke focuses his narrative on Jesus’s repudiation of the injustice, corruption, and error in the temple service and the elite religious leaders. Finishing his teachings to his disciples, Jesus overhears a comment about the magnificence of the temple, which he responds to by prophesying the destruction of the temple. This prompts a question from his disciples: “When will this happen? What signs should we look for to prepare?” Jesus gives four non-signs, things that are going to happen but do not signal the destruction he’s referring to, and instead warns them: “You’ll know it when you see it. Be ready at all times.” This call to readiness is as relevant for us today as it was for them then, and for all believers throughout history.
Luke 17:20-18:8 – Like the Days of Noah and Lot
The Pharisees ask Jesus about the timing of the arrival of God’s Kingdom on earth that He has been talking about. Jesus response to this question in the gospels is always the same: No one can know the timing, but it will happen suddenly, without warning, that is, without further warning than the one he continually gives: be ready today. In our eating, drinking, getting married, buying, selling, planting, building, sleeping, and milling, are we also praying: “Lord let your kingdom come!”
Luke 16:1-17 – God’s Economics
This week, we’ll look at a perplexing parable about a master, a manager, and money. The details are confusing to our modern understanding of business, but Jesus’s message is clear nonetheless. The problem that Jesus was pointing out was that we, like the disciples and the Pharisees, don’t know what money is really for, and we forget who it really belongs to. When we see how Jesus uses this parable to instruct the disciples and rebuke the Pharisees, we’ll gain great insight into God’s economics. How does he want us to use “our” money?
Luke 24:13-27 – How Jesus Reveals Himself
After Jesus’s crucifixion and burial, even the apostles were devastated and confused, going only by what they could see. Their entire world was crashing around them, or so they thought. When Jesus finally does show up on that first Easter morning, the surprising ways he reveals himself to his despairing flock can teach us much about what we need from him today.