Calvary Church

Calvary Church, Grand Rapids, MI Senior Pastor Dr. Jim Samra (616)956-9377

This message looks at Jesus’s response to the Pharisees attempt to trap him, in Matthew 22. As we examine this interaction, Pastor Jim helps us learn about the benefits of tax season when we consider it another opportunity to choose God’s way.

Calvary Church, Grand Rapids, MI Senior Pastor Dr. Jim Samra (616)956-9377

In this sermon, we read Matthew 21:33-46 – the Parable of the Tenants. We learn that God has something to say about current world events through the Bible. And, we are reminded of our need to view current events through a biblical worldview.

This message from Matthew 22:1-14 looks at the parable of the wedding banquet. We see Jesus telling this parable in the context of answering a question about his authority. The parable itself gives us a picture of how God is to rule and reign in this world and in our lives.

This message looks at the parable of the two sons in Matthew 21, teaching us about confession and repentance. Pastor Jim makes five observations to see a simple parable more clearly and answer the question, “which of the two sons are we?”

In this sermon, we witness Jesus teaching on His own authority and our repentance. Pastor Jim explains how these two truths are intertwined as we live out our walk as Christians.

In this message, we read from Matthew 20:17-34. The mother of the sons of Zebedee ask Jesus if her sons can sit at Jesus’ left and right hand. Jesus’ response tells us that there are positions in the Kingdom of God. We then learn what greatness in His kingdom looks like.

In this sermon we are reminded of God’s great generosity. Whether you’ve been a Christian for a long time or short while, Jesus gives us a parable in Matthew 20 that fully demonstrates this aspect of God’s character.

In this sermon we walk through Matthew 19:16-30 and hear about Jesus’ exchange with the rich young ruler. Rather than simply answering the rich young ruler’s question: “what good thing must I do to get eternal life?”, we see Jesus emphasize ensuring God is the top priority in our lives.

This passage opens with Jesus healing people. Out of that Jesus answers a question from the Pharisees meant to test him that speaks on marriage, divorce, and singleness.

This sermon looks at forgiveness as seen in Matthew 18:21-35. This passage is a follow up to previous messages in Matthew 18, in wherein we looked at forgiveness when someone is unrepentant. This message discusses what Jesus has to say about forgiveness when repentance is present. He tells the parable of the unforgiving servant and we are given three principals to apply to our lives today.

In this message, we read Matthew 18:15-20. We walk through what Jesus taught about the local church. We are provided with an answer to the question many find themselves asking as they navigate the role of the gathered assembly in their lives, “why church”?

This week we are in Matthew 18:10-14, a passage wherein Jesus tells the story of the lost sheep. We learn through this how God loves the most vulnerable. In our message, we see how the ongoing verses of Matthew 18 widen the scope of focus, applying these particular verses to a spectrum from the unborn child, to the young adult.

This message examines Jesus’s stern warning against causing our fellow believers to stumble. It helps us under what a stumbling block might look like in our own lives and how we can ensure we don’t create one for others.