New King Church

The Faith of the Resurrection

We celebrate Christ's resurrection, but when Jesus rose from the grave, many of his closest followers did not believe he was truly alive. Jesus' death on the cross left his followers scared and confused wondering how this could have happened. Even though Jesus told them about his coming death and resurrection, it did not fit with their plans and it greatly shook their faith. The resurrected Christ reveals himself to his followers in various ways that renewed their faith and strengthened it for the work ahead. This week we will celebrate Christ's powerful resurrection and examine how we can respond when our faith is lacking. 

The Cross: Key to Everlasting Joy

All of Matthew and all of human history have been building to this crescendo. God's Son is hanging on a cross, beaten, bloody, rejected, and despised. Why did it all come to this? Why did Jesus have to die? We've all heard that Jesus died to offer us forgiveness of our sins, but what if that's only a part of the reason Jesus died? What if that isn't even the main thing his death accomplished? What if I told you that the cross was a key that unlocks never ending, ever increasing joy for all who believe? This week we will look at the centerpiece of human history with the Scripture as or lens and see the chief reason for the death of God's Son. 

The King On Trial

In our study of Matthew, we now come to the point where Jesus is put on trial before the Roman governor Pilate (Matt 27:11-26). Pilate's not quite sure what to do with this "King of the Jews", so he appeals to the crowd. "who do you choose?" he asks, "Jesus the Christ or Barabbas the murderer?" To this day, we're shocked when the crowd chooses the murderer. We know that we'd have made the right choice. We know the full story...

Or do we? join New King this week and learn some surprising things about the situation, especially how relevant the question is for our day.

Who do you choose?

Don’t Repent like Judas

Sin will take you further than you want to go and keep you longer than you want to be there. I dob't think Judas realized just how far things would go when he offered to lead the religious leaders to Jesus for 30 pieces of silver. When Judas saw that Jesus was actually condemned to die, he regretted his sin. He was overcome with guilt and tried to give the money he was paid back to the chief priests. He even made a confession of his sin. You could say that Judas repented. He hated what he'd done. He made an effort to turn back from his sin, but his repentance wasn't true repentance, because true repentance leads to life and Judas' repentance led only to death. This week we will learn to discern the difference between true and false repentance.

How to Stand in the Hour of Temptation

We all know what it's like to get taken by surprise in a moment of temptation, and we all know how it feels to limp away from that battle with a bloody nose. The Bible sometimes calls that the 'hour of temptation' or 'hour of trial.' In our passage this week, we are going to learn from Jesus how to stand up straight in the hour of temptation and come out of it honoring God with our character still in tact. If you're tired of limping away from your hour of temptation and you want to learn how to stand firm in trials, Join us this week! 

The Astonishing Agony of the King

Up to this point in Matthew's gospel, Jesus remained calm in every obstacle and situation. In the face of snarling demons, He simply said 'come out'. In the face of vehement accusations, He quietly answered with a teaching, parable, or probing question. In the face of a raging sea, he responded 'peace, be still." But now we're in for a surprising change. This Sunday, we have Jesus in the Garden of Gethsemane and His response is very different. The Son of God, the King himself, is staggered with emotion. What could possibly bring the King to his knees in emotion so intense that it feels like death? Join us this week as we consider the astonishing agony of the King and what it means.

How to Deal with Failure

Have you ever felt like you sinned too much to be of use to God? Have you ever felt so ashamed of your sin that you avoided prayer? We've all been in that place of shock at how sinful we truly are, and wondered if there was any way the Lord would still want us. This week we are going to be looking at Peter's greatest failure along with his restoration. We will learn what we should do after we blow it and turn away from the Lord. We'll learn how to deal with failure so that we, too, can be restored.

The Powerful Practice of Breaking Bread

The Lord is doing a fresh work in my heart, you might even call it a 'Gospel Awakening.' I am coming awake once more to the astounding gift of grace that is ours because of the cross. My eyes are beginning to open up to a new discoveries found within the old truths of the good news. There is a lightness and a freedom in my heart. There is a joy and a renewed excitement in my relationship with Christ. I am seeing that the finished work of Christ on the cross is really and truly sufficient for our current, ongoing struggles in this life, not just our past sin. I see that the Gospel is more powerful, more expansive, and more satisfying than I've ever experienced. I see that practical holiness is a work of grace that comes through faith and nothing less. And all of this ties back to the simple, but powerful practice of communion. I can't wait to share the things the Lord has been revealing to me. I'm praying that he will open your hearts to a fresh discovery of the Gospel. Come expectant. - Pastor Ben Presten

Memories That Last

What's your legacy?  How long will you be remembered after your life ends? To put it another way, many of us have clear memories of our grandparents and a few of us may even remember our great grandparents. Beyond that, well we might not even know the names of our great grandparents or what they did for a living. They've fallen out of memory. This Sunday, we welcome back Eric to preaching! He will start off a new section of Matthew's Gospel: The Passion of the King. In these beginning verses, we'll see something touching and beautiful wedged between two ugly incidents describing the betrayal of Jesus. While all three have come down to us over the centuries, Jesus says that one of them will be remembered and proclaimed whenever the Gospel is told. Join us this Sunday and find out how to make memories that last.

The Final and Irreversible Judgement

This Sunday we wrap up the Olivet Discourse where Jesus is answering his disciples' questions about the end of the ages and the coming of His Kingdom. In this passage, we will get greater insight into why God will judge the world through His Son, as well as what it will be like to stand before Him on that fateful day. We will learn who will be welcomed into His Kingdom, and who will be sent away into everlasting punishment. Don't miss this very important sermon on the final judgement that is coming!