A sermon series preached during evening worship at Grace Orthodox Presbyterian Church in Sewickley, PA. Connected in Christ and committed to the historic Christian Faith in preaching, praise and practice. https://graceopcpgh.org
A dishonest manager, about to lose his job for wasting his master's goods, reduces the debts of his master's debtors so they will welcome him later. His master commends him, not for dishonesty but for shrewdness. Jesus draws a principle from this bad example: use worldly wealth now in light of eternity. Whoever is faithful in little is faithful in much. Giving to the poor is lending to the Lord, an eternal investment. Where your treasure is, there your heart will be also, and no one can serve both God and money.
9 Aug 2026
Self-Righteousness vs. God’s Righteousness
Jesus tells the parable of the Pharisee and the tax collector to some who trusted in themselves that they were righteous. The Pharisee thanks God that he is not like other men and lists his fasting and tithing. The tax collector stands far off, beats his breast, and prays, "God, be merciful to me, a sinner." Jesus says the tax collector went home justified rather than the other. Justification is God's legal declaration that a sinner is righteous, received by faith in Christ, not earned by works. God humbles everyone who exalts himself and exalts the one who humbles himself.
24 May 2026
Investing in the Kingdom: Talents
A master entrusts his property to three servants, five talents to one, two to another, and one to the third, each according to his ability. The first two trade at once and double what they received, and the master commends them: "Well done, good and faithful servant." The third hides his talent out of fear and calls his master hard; the master takes his talent from him and casts him out. The master's expectation was feasible and fair. "To everyone who has, more will be given." Those who do not put their faith to use lose it.
10 May 2026
Waiting for the Kingdom: Maintaining Lamps
Ten virgins wait for the bridegroom with their lamps; five wise ones bring extra oil, but five foolish ones do not. When the bridegroom delays, all fall asleep, and at midnight the cry goes out. The foolish ask to borrow oil and the wise tell them to buy their own; while they are gone, the bridegroom comes, and the door closes. Waiting is hard when prayers go unanswered and Christ seems delayed. The critical difference is readiness, which no one can borrow. Believers must be ready through faith in Christ, even if they pass through death before he returns.
3 May 2026
Invited to the Kingdom: A Wedding Feast
A king prepares a wedding feast for his son, but the invited guests refuse to come; some go off to their business, and others kill his servants. The king destroys those murderers and sends his servants to invite everyone they find, good and bad, and guests fill the hall. Yet one guest without a wedding garment is bound and cast into outer darkness. There is no neutral response to God's invitation, and no one may trifle with him. Those who come must come on his terms, clothed in the righteousness he provides in Christ.
26 Apr 2026
The Equality of the Kingdom: Vineyard Workers
A vineyard owner hires laborers throughout the day, from early morning to the eleventh hour, and pays them all a denarius. Those hired first grumble, though they received exactly what they agreed to. The owner answers that he has done them no wrong and may do what he chooses with what belongs to him: "Do you begrudge my generosity?" The parable teaches the great reversal of the kingdom, where the last will be first, warns against the resentment of entitlement, and displays God's sovereign generosity. No one earns salvation; all receive it by grace.
19 Apr 2026
The Value of the Kingdom: Treasure, Pearls, and Nets
The kingdom of heaven is like treasure hidden in a field, which a man sells all he has to buy, and like a pearl of great value for which a merchant, an expert in pearls, gives everything. Others may not see its worth, but the kingdom is worth everything else. The parable of the net adds that at the end of the age the angels will separate the evil from the righteous. In the end what matters most is not what people think of God but what God thinks of them, though what they think of him shapes where they stand before him.
12 Apr 2026
The Reality of the Kingdom: Weeds, Seeds, and Yeast
In the parable of the weeds, an enemy sows weeds among the wheat, and the master tells his servants to let both grow together until the harvest, so that they do not uproot the wheat. Jesus explains: the field is the world, the good seed the sons of the kingdom, the weeds the sons of the evil one, and the harvest the end of the age. The kingdom's reality is mixed for now, and judgment belongs to God at the end. The mustard seed and the leaven show that it begins small and hidden but grows until it fills the world.
29 Mar 2026
How Will You Understand All the Parables?
Jesus teaches the parable of the sower, of seed falling on the path, rocky ground, among thorns, and on good soil. Parables have a twofold purpose: they reveal the secret of the kingdom to disciples and conceal it from outsiders. The parable checks sowers: they sow the word broadly and leave the results to God, since much seed will not take root. It also challenges hearers to examine what kind of soil they are. The thorny soil, where the cares of the world, deceitful riches, and desires for other things choke the word, may be the most common in today's distracted churches.
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