In Matthew 22 Jesus tells a parable about a king who throws a wedding feast for his son. When the invited guests can't make it, he invites anyone and everyone to come enjoy the feast. But one man comes with no wedding garments, and the king removes him from the party. Why? What is it to be invited to the feast but not be willing to change our clothes to honor the king?

Jesus says in Mark 9:35, "If anyone would be perfect, he must be last of all and servant of all." What does kingdom servanthood look like? What does it mean to be servant of all? Jesus invites us to serve others as a response to his disciples arguing over is the greatest in His kingdom.

Peter asks Jesus how many times he should forgive someone who has sinned against him. Jesus responds not just with a number, but with a parable, a story. The story itself is about forgiveness, but he starts with, "The kingdom of heaven..." Forgiveness is foundational to the kingdom of heaven. Without forgiveness we are stuck in our sin, hurt and pain.

As we continue our series on Seeking the Kingdom we look at what Jesus means when he says that we must seek the kingdom "first". Do we prioritize the kingdom of God? Do we give it our first and foremost attention? And when we realize we have stepped back into living under our own authority, how quickly do we return to submitting to the authority of Jesus?

Jesus said, "Blessed are the pure in heart..." Holiness is dealt with throughout the entire bible, both Old Testament and New. There is a call to living a holy life before the Lord. What we must realize is that we can not live this way in our own strength. It is only in the righteousness of Christ are we truly made righteous. Grace gives us the freedom to live a holy life without the burden of our salvation being determined by how many good works we do!

Jesus said to not be anxious about anything, but instead, to seek the kingdom of heaven above all else. But what does that mean? How do we seek the kingdom? This week we are looking at five practical ways in Scripture that show us how we can prioritize the authority of heaven over our own. Jesus is our king! And when we live with that mentality and recognition of His authority, we will follow Him, no matter what He asks!

This week we continue the conversation about seeds being sown into soil. Jesus shares a parable about a farmer sowing seeds into four different types of soil. The meaning? How we receive the word of the kingdom determines how that word will impact our lives. We are meant to be prepared and ready receivers of the Word!

This week we continue our series, Seek First the Kingdom, as we look at Matthew 13 and the parable of the mustard seed. Jesus said the Kingdom of Heaven is like a mustard seed... the smallest of all seeds, yet birds find shade in it's branches when it is grown... What was Jesus saying, and how is this like the Kingdom of God?

In a new series, Seek First the Kingdom, we are focusing on what Jesus meant in Matthew 6 when he tells us to not be anxious. What does that mean? How can we not be anxious? He says, "Seek first the Kingdom..."