When Money Becomes Your Master

Pastor Jon Verwey

What you treasure will shape your heart, so let Jesus be your master and money your servant.

Don’t store up treasures here on earth, where moths eat them and rust destroys them, and where thieves break in and steal. Store your treasures in heaven, where moths and rust cannot destroy, and thieves do not break in and steal. — Matthew 6:19-20 NLT

Wherever your treasure is, there the desires of your heart will also be. — Matthew 6:21 NLT

Your eye is like a lamp that provides light for your body. When your eye is healthy, your whole body is filled with light. But when your eye is unhealthy, your whole body is filled with darkness. And if the light you think you have is actually darkness, how deep that darkness is! — Matthew 6:22-23 NLT

The leech has two daughters. ‘Give! Give!’ they cry… — Proverbs 30:15a NIV

No one can serve two masters. For you will hate one and love the other; you will be devoted to one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and be enslaved to money. — Matthew 6:24 NLT

Wherever your treasure is, there the desires of your heart will also be. v. 21

Trust in the Lord with all your heart; do not depend on your own understanding. Seek his will in all you do, and he will show you which path to take. — Proverbs 3:5–6 NLT

The wise have wealth and luxury, but fools spend whatever they get. — Proverbs 21:20

Wealth gained hastily will dwindle, but whoever gathers little by little will increase it. — Proverbs 13:11 ESV

Give freely and become more wealthy; be stingy and lose everything. The generous will prosper; those who refresh others will themselves be refreshed. — Proverbs 11:24–25 NLT

What you treasure will shape your heart, so let Jesus be your master and money your servant.

The Widow’s Offering and the Heart of the Gospel

Pastor Jon Verwey

Jesus sat down near the collection box in the Temple and watched as the crowds dropped in their money. Many rich people put in large amounts. Then a poor widow came and dropped in two small coins. Jesus called his disciples to him and said, “I tell you the truth, this poor widow has given more than all the others who are making contributions. For they gave a tiny part of their surplus, but she, poor as she is, has given everything she had to live on.” — Mark 12:41–44 NLT

Jesus called his disciples to him… v. 43a

“I tell you the truth…” v. 43b

This poor widow has given more than all the others who are making contributions… v. 43c

…she, poor as she is, has given everything she had to live on v. 44b

Though he was rich, yet for your sakes he became poor, so that by his poverty he could make you rich. — 2 Corinthians 8:9

Imitate God, therefore, in everything you do, because you are his dear children. Live a life filled with love, following the example of Christ. He loved us and offered himself as a sacrifice for us, a pleasing aroma to God. — Ephesians 5:1–2 NLT

Since he did not spare even his own Son but gave him up for us all, won’t he also give us everything else? — Romans 8:32 NLT

You must each decide in your heart how much to give. And don’t give reluctantly or in response to pressure. “For God loves a person who gives cheerfully.” — 2 Corinthians 9:7 NLT

The cross of Jesus calls us to trust God completely and live with open hands and generous hearts.

A Warning Against Religious Pretending

Pastor Jon Verwey

Later, as Jesus was teaching the people in the Temple, he asked, “Why do the teachers of religious law claim that the Messiah is the son of David?

For David himself, speaking under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, said, ‘The Lord said to my Lord, Sit in the place of honor at my right hand until I humble your enemies beneath your feet.’ Since David himself called the Messiah ‘my Lord,’ how can the Messiah be his son?” The large crowd listened to him with great delight. — Mark 12:35–37 NLT

No one could answer him. And after that, no one dared to ask him any more questions. — Matthew 22:46 NLT

Jesus also taught: “Beware of these teachers of religious law! For they like to parade around in flowing robes and receive respectful greetings as they walk in the marketplaces. And how they love the seats of honor in the synagogues and the head table at banquets. — Mark 12:38–39 NLT

Yet they shamelessly cheat widows out of their property and then pretend to be pious by making long prayers in public. — Mark 12:40a NLT

Because of this, they will be more severely punished. — Mark 12:40b NLT

Is there a scribe living in me?

There is a little scribe living inside all of us, and it wants to be in charge.

Because when we truly know Jesus and follow His lead, we stop playing at religion and start becoming like Him from the inside out.

Then Jesus was approached by some Sadducees—religious leaders who say there is no resurrection from the dead. They posed this question: “Teacher, Moses gave us a law that if a man dies, leaving a wife without children, his brother should marry the widow and have a child who will carry on the brother’s name. Well, suppose there were seven brothers. The oldest one married and then died without children. So the second brother married the widow, but he also died without children. Then the third brother married her. This continued with all seven of them, and still there were no children. Last of all, the woman also died. So tell us, whose wife will she be in the resurrection? For all seven were married to her.” — Mark 12:18–23 NLT

Jesus replied, “Your mistake is that you don’t know the Scriptures, and you don’t know the power of God. v. 24

For when the dead rise, they will neither marry nor be given in marriage. In this respect they will be like the angels in heaven. v. 25

“But now, as to whether the dead will be raised—haven’t you ever read about this in the writings of Moses, in the story of the burning bush? Long after Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob had died, God said to Moses, ‘I am the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob.’ So he is the God of the living, not the dead. You have made a serious error.”vv. 26-27

I am the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob. v. 26b

So he is the God of the living, not the dead. You have made a serious error.” vv. 27

The resurrection gives us hope for tomorrow and power for today.

I pray that your hearts will be flooded with light so that you can understand the confident hope he has given to those he called—his holy people who are his rich and glorious inheritance. — Ephesians 1:18 NLT

I also pray that you will understand the incredible greatness of God’s power for us who believe him. This is the same mighty power that raised Christ from the dead… — Ephesians 1:19–20a NLT

…when you believed in Christ, he identified you as his own by giving you the Holy Spirit, whom he promised long ago. — Ephesians 1:13 NLT

“The point of the resurrection … is that the present bodily life is not valueless just because it will die. God will raise it to new life. What you do with your body in the present matters because God has a great future in store for it.”

“What you do in the present—by painting, preaching, singing, sewing, praying, teaching, building hospitals, digging wells, campaigning for justice, writing poems, caring for the needy, loving your neighbor as yourself—will last into God’s future.”

The resurrection gives us hope for tomorrow and power for today.

Be Still and Know

05/31/26

Come to me, all of you who are weary and carry heavy burdens, and I will give you rest. — Matthew 11:28 NLT

As each part does its own special work, it helps the other parts grow, so that the whole body is healthy and growing and full of love. — Ephesians 4:15–16 NLT

To be anxious is to live with uneasiness of mind and restlessness of soul, carrying a brooding fear about some part of life—or about life in general.

To form a non-anxious presence in us is to invite the Holy Spirit to deepen our trust in God’s unfailing love and to teach us how to rest in His goodness, faithfulness, and strength.

Don’t worry about the wicked or envy those who do wrong. For like grass, they soon fade away. Like spring flowers, they soon wither. Trust in the Lord and do good. Then you will live safely in the land and prosper. Take delight in the Lord, and he will give you your heart’s desires. Commit everything you do to the Lord. Trust him, and he will help you. He will make your innocence radiate like the dawn, and the justice of your cause will shine like the noonday sun. Be still in the presence of the Lord, and wait patiently for him to act. — Psalm 37:1–7a NLT

Be still in the presence of the Lord… — Psalm 37:7a NLT

…fix your thoughts on what is true, and honorable, and right, and pure, and lovely, and admirable. Think about things that are excellent and worthy of praise. — Philippians 4:8 NLT

I will meditate on your precepts and fix my eyes on your ways. — Psalm 119:15 ESV

Be still, and know that I am God! I will be honored by every nation. I will be honored throughout the world. — Psalm 46:10 NLT

The Lord of Heaven’s Armies is here among us; the God of Israel is our fortress. — Psalm 46:11 NLT

Be still and know that I am GOD

Be still and know that I AM

Be still and KNOW

Be STILL

BE

During the meditation time show all this text on 1 slide, formatted the way it is below:

Be still and know that I am GOD

Be still and know that I AM

Be still and KNOW

Be STILL

BE

For the “connect with each other time” have this on 1 slide:

Tell someone about…

…a time someone planned a surprise for you and how you reacted.

…one situation where you are most likely to procrastinate.

…one way you measure contentment in your life.

…one thing that makes it difficult for you to “be still before the Lord.”

…the word or phrase that stood out to you as we reflected on “Be still and know that I am God.”

Living as Someone Who Belongs to God

05/17/26

Later the leaders sent some Pharisees and supporters of Herod to trap Jesus into saying something for which he could be arrested. “Teacher,” they said, “we know how honest you are. You are impartial and don’t play favorites. You teach the way of God truthfully. Now tell us—is it right to pay taxes to Caesar or not? Should we pay them, or shouldn’t we?” Jesus saw through their hypocrisy… — Mark 12:13–15a NLT

“…Why are you trying to trap me? Show me a Roman coin, and I’ll tell you.” When they handed it to him, he asked, “Whose picture and title are stamped on it?” “Caesar’s,” they replied. “Well, then,” Jesus said, “give to Caesar what belongs to Caesar, and give to God what belongs to God.” His reply completely amazed them. — Mark 12:15b–17 NLT

Then God said, “Let us make mankind in our image, in our likeness…” So God created mankind in his own image, in the image of God he created them; male and female he created them. — Genesis 1:26a, 27 NIV

Caesar may get your taxes, but God wants you!

God blessed them and said to them, “Be fruitful and increase in number; fill the earth and subdue it. Rule over the fish in the sea and the birds in the sky and over every living creature that moves on the ground.” — Genesis 1:28 NIV

“I will bless you… and you will be a blessing.” — Genesis 12:2

8 Then the man and his wife heard the sound of the Lord God as he was walking in the garden in the cool of the day…— Genesis 3:8 NIV

Caesar may get your taxes, but God wants you!

16 But whenever someone turns to the Lord, the veil is taken away.
17 For the Lord is the Spirit, and wherever the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom.

18 So all of us who have had that veil removed can see and reflect the glory of the Lord. And the Lord—who is the Spirit—makes us more and more like him as we are changed into his glorious image. — 2 Corinthians 3:16–18 NLT

Caesar may get your taxes, but God wants you!

You are stamped with His image and you were created to be with Him, live like Him, give all of yourself to Him. God wants you!

A Story of Rebellion, Judgement, and Grace

Pastor Jon Verwey

Jesus then began to speak to them in parables: “A man planted a vineyard. He put a wall around it, dug a pit for the winepress and built a watchtower. Then he rented the vineyard to some farmers and moved to another place. At harvest time he sent a servant to the tenants to collect from them some of the fruit of the vineyard. But they seized him, beat him and sent him away empty-handed. Then he sent another servant to them; they struck this man on the head and treated him shamefully. He sent still another, and that one they killed. He sent many others; some of them they beat, others they killed. —Mark 12:1-5 NIV

…The Lord, the Lord, the compassionate and gracious God, slow to anger, abounding in love and faithfulness, maintaining love to thousands, and forgiving wickedness, rebellion and sin. — Exodus 34:6-7a NIV

God patiently calls people to repentance and forms them into a people who love, follow, and live for His Son.

He had one left to send, a son, whom he loved. He sent him last of all, saying, ‘They will respect my son.’ “But the tenants said to one another, ‘This is the heir. Come, let’s kill him, and the inheritance will be ours.’ So they took him and killed him, and threw him out of the vineyard. —Mark 12:6-8 NIV

What then will the owner of the vineyard do? He will come and kill those tenants and give the vineyard to others. — Mark 12:9 NIV

The Lord is slow to anger but great in power;
the Lord will not leave the guilty unpunished. — Nahum 1:3a NIV

Haven’t you read this passage of Scripture: “ ‘The stone the builders rejected has become the cornerstone; the Lord has done this, and it is marvelous in our eyes’?” — Mark 12:10-11 NIV

The stone the builders rejected has become the cornerstone; the Lord has done this, and it is marvelous in our eyes. — Psalm 118:22–23 NIV

But you, Lord, are a compassionate and gracious God, slow to anger, abounding in love and faithfulness. Turn to me and have mercy on me; show your strength in behalf of your servant; save me, because I serve you just as my mother did. — Psalm 86:15–16 NIV

Why Matthew Threw a Party—and Why We Will Too

Pastor Jon Verwey

Combined reading Matthew 9:9-13/Mark 2:13-17/Luke 5:27-32 NIV

Once again Jesus went out beside the lake. A large crowd came to him, and he began to teach them. As he walked along, he saw a man named Matthew, son of Alphaeus, sitting at the tax collector’s booth. “Follow me,” Jesus told him, and Matthew got up, left everything and followed him.

Then Matthew held a great banquet for Jesus at his house, and a large crowd tax collectors and sinners were eating with him and his disciples, for there were many who followed him.

But when the Pharisees and the teachers of the law saw him eating with the sinners and tax collectors, they complained to his disciples, “Why does your teachers eat and drink with tax collectors and sinners?”

On hearing this, Jesus said to them, “It is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick. But go and learn what this means: ‘I desire mercy, not sacrifice.’ For I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance.”

Then Matthew held a great banquet for Jesus at his house, and a large crowd of tax collectors and sinners were eating with him and his disciples, for there were many who followed him.

But when the Pharisees and the teachers of the law saw him eating with the sinners and tax collectors, they complained to his disciples, “Why does your teachers eat and drink with tax collectors and sinners?”

“Here I am! I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in and eat with that person, and they with me.” — Revelation 3:20

“It is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick… I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance.”

“…I have come to call not those who think they are righteous, but those who know they are sinners.” — Mark 2:17b NLT

“You do not delight in sacrifice… My sacrifice, O God, is a broken spirit; a broken and contrite heart you, God, will not despise.” — Psalm 51:16–17 (NIV)

When Jesus calls us to follow Him and we respond, it should move us to create space for others to encounter Him and hear His call to them.

Hospitality means primarily the creation of free space where the stranger can enter and become a friend… Hospitality is not to change people, but to offer them space where change can take place. – Henri Nouwen