Upside Down Kingdom

“Upside Down Kingdom” is a Lenten sermon series that focuses on the key events of Passion Week from the perspective of the Gospel of Matthew. Together we will unpack the significance of these events in light of Matthew’s emphasis on the Kingdom of God’s arrival in Christ. It is a kingdom unlike anything in this world, in both its character and in its establishment, and at its center is Israel’s rejected Messiah to whom has been granted “all authority in heaven and on earth” (Matthew 28:18).

Series Playlist

Elizabeth City EMC Podcast
Elizabeth City EMC Podcast
The Triumphal Approach
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  • The Triumphal Approach

    The Triumphal Approach

    Feb 18, 2024 • 42:46

    Jesus’ purpose in Jerusalem did not meet anyone’s expectations or demands, so within just a matter of days the very voices that praised him fell silent and the ones shaken by his arrival called for his execution. What is our response to his arrival, presence, and self-revelation in our own…

  • Cleansing the Temple

    Cleansing the Temple

    Feb 25, 2024 • 41:47

    Speaker: Richard Meservey Series: Upside Down Kingdom Scripture: Matthew 21:12-17

  • A Supper Like No Other

    A Supper Like No Other

    Mar 3, 2024 • 35:42

    Speaker: Karl Bowden Series: Upside Down Kingdom Scripture: Matthew 26:17-30

  • The Divine

    The Divine "No"

    Mar 10, 2024 • 1:01:31

    Jesus shows us what true humanity looks like. He freely said “yes” to God’s divine “no,” and the result of that decision changed everything. He invites all people, not just to accept his atoning sacrifice, but to make his own God-united humanity our own, that by his work in our…

  • Life by the Sword

    Life by the Sword

    Mar 17, 2024 • 43:07

    God is in control of human history. He calls men and women to look to Jesus, the author and finisher of faith, for salvation. Jesus invites us to join him in his commitment to the will and word of God. Speaker: Sean Scribner Series: Upside Down Kingdom Scripture: Matthew 26:47-56

  • Peter's Bold Rejection

    Peter's Bold Rejection

    Mar 24, 2024 • 57:05

    The work of Jesus provides both restoration for past failures and power for future boldness. The work of the disciple is not to try harder or dig deeper, but to surrender over in watchful prayer to the will and work of God. Speaker: Sean Scribner Series: Upside Down Kingdom Scripture: Matthew…

Treasures

“Where is the newborn king of the Jews? We saw his star as it rose, and we have come to worship him.” (Matthew 2:2, NLT)

Epiphany is a Christian feast commemorating the visit of wise men to the Christ child (Matthew 2), pointing to the fulfillment of biblical prophecy and the messiah’s physical manifestation to the Gentiles. But what do we really know about the wise men who visited Mary, Joseph, and the baby Jesus? History is replete with all manor of traditions, some with merit, others without. At the very least, we know this: The magi were men who knew and believed the word of God, sought after and recognized the messiah, and presented themselves to God. As such, their example has much to offer those today who would seek how to live out a wise life.

Treasures is a sermon series that dives into the lessons contained in Matthew 2. The wise men had gifts to offer the newborn king who had come to offer treasures of his own.

Series Playlist

Treasures
Treasures
Wise Men
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  • Wise Men

    Wise Men

    Jan 14, 2024 • 40:07

    The wisdom of the magi was not in their expertise in astrology, philosophy, or the magical arts, but in their awareness of, faith in, and obedience to the truth of the Scriptures. They didn’t follow a star; they followed the word of God. Their journey was not to a place,…

  • Herod the Not So Great

    Herod the Not So Great

    Jan 21, 2024 • 43:19

    The arrival of the Messiah resulted in the formation of two camps: one full of praise and welcome, the other full of hatred and opposition. You and I have the opportunity to pick which camp we belong to, but choose wisely! Though receiving Jesus is risky and at time uncomfortable…

  • The Worthy Child

    The Worthy Child

    Jan 28, 2024 • 39:31

    The wise men didn’t see it all, but they saw enough. While everyone else was “deeply disturbed” by the news of the messiah’s birth, the wise men seek him, rejoice upon finding him, worship him, and offer him their treasures. Speaker: Sean Scribner Series: Treasures Scripture: Matthew 2:9-12

  • Deliverer and Delivered

    Deliverer and Delivered

    Feb 4, 2024 • 42:24

    Despite the tragedy we see in the world around us, we can be certain that God is at work to bring renewal and restoration. That work is always centered on his Son, Jesus Christ, who is the faithful deliverer that leads his people into the deep, covenantal love of the…

  • The Embarrassing Messiah

    The Embarrassing Messiah

    Feb 11, 2024 • 42:14

    A Messiah from Nazareth would be nothing less than a national embarrassment to his people. But Matthew is not embarrassed about it at all. He wants us to see this clearly. Jesus didn’t come from where anyone expected him to come. He didn’t come in the way anyone expected him…

Signs of the Season

“The Lord himself will give you the sign.” (Isaiah 7:17, NLT)

In the time of Isaiah, the people of God were in need of hope for better things to come. Fortunately for them, and for all the world, God had a plan in mind to rescue not only his people, but all who call upon the name of the Lord. To all peoples in darkness came a promise of a great Light coming.

Signs of the Season is an Advent sermon series that considers some of the key promises made by the prophet Isaiah concerning the coming of Immanuel, the hope of all the nations, and the signs associated with his arrival and work.

Series Playlist

Signs of the Season
Signs of the Season
The Sign of God
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  • The Sign of God

    The Sign of God

    Dec 3, 2023 • 43:13

    The sign of God at Christmas means that Yahweh himself delivers and saves. It means that he keeps his promises and is true to his word. To the hard-hearted, the coming of Immanuel portends certain doom. But to the faithful, who welcome and receive him in their weakness and finitude,…

  • The Crisis of God

    The Crisis of God

    Dec 10, 2023 • 34:46

    The greatest gift of all time presents the greatest crisis of all time: Will you, or will you not, receive him? Many will not, and for them there will only ever be trouble and anguish and dark despair. But for those that do—who set him apart in their hearts and…

  • The Light of God

    The Light of God

    Dec 17, 2023 • 41:06

    How does God shine light into darkness? How does he bring hope to despair? How is his grace made available to man? It is all offered exclusively in “the child who is born to us, the Son who is given to us.” God has blessed us with every spiritual blessing…

  • The Reign of God

    The Reign of God

    Dec 24, 2023 • 36:28

    Jesus Christ, the Son of Mary, the babe of Christmas, is the Stone upon which you can build your life; the Son who offers peace between God and man; the Light that reveals and transforms our darkness; and the King of kings and Lord of all lords—the very promise and…

Ready or Not

Like a street light indicating what is about to happen, the apostle Peter penned his letters to the churches under his care in the hopes that they might be prepared for when it does. To him, and to the rest of the early church, the return of Jesus Christ was an imminent certainty, the single most important Day in the history of the world. Peter’s pastoral concern was for the readiness, holiness, and hope of the people of God.

Peter’s writings are no less instructive or relevant to the church today. We live under the constant awareness of how near we are to the end of time. But whether the end is tomorrow or another 2,000 years from now, the attitude and posture of the people of God remains the same. “Ready or Not” is a sermon series intended to recalibrate the mind and heart of Christ’s followers to think and live rightly in these last days.

Series Playlist

Ready or Not
Ready or Not
A Ready Hope
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  • A Ready Hope

    A Ready Hope

    Nov 12, 2023 • 49:03

    The early church did not wait around for things to get bad before they began living as though they were in the end times. They lived with the conviction that Christ truly could return any minute. Theirs was a ready hope that kept their minds and hearts sober and watchful…

  • A Holy Hope

    A Holy Hope

    Nov 19, 2023 • 45:44

    A hopeful people are a ready people—sober, alert, and watchful for the Master’s imminent return. A ready people are a determined people—determined to live a certain way in the present as a response to the past and with anticipation of the future. A determined people are a holy people, who…

  • A Certain Hope

    A Certain Hope

    Nov 26, 2023 • 46:03

    The Christian hope is one that is certain, because it is built upon the objective reality of the resurrection of Jesus Christ in history and its fruit can be seen in lives that are transformed and made holy in love. Speaker: Sean Scribner Series: Ready or Not Scripture: I Peter 1:18-25

Choices

The choices people make can say a lot about their character. The book of 1 Samuel, written to record the life of Israel’s last judge (Samuel), the rise and fall of Israel’s first king (Saul), and the preparation for Israel’s greatest king (David), is filled with characters making choices of consequence. Some are good. Others are very bad.

“Choices’ is a sermon series that explores some of the key events in a crucial window of Israel’s history. We will see in the faithfulness and treachery of figures and events many have known since their first Sunday School class God’s providential purposes at work, and the theological insights gleaned from the inspired Scripture’s telling of history will offer guidance for being the faithful people of God for today.

Series Playlist

Choices
Choices
The Trial of One is the Salvation of Many
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  • The Trial of One is the Salvation of Many

    The Trial of One is the Salvation of Many

    Sep 3, 2023 • 35:59

    The way God works in the life of the individual reflects the tendency of his ways. He is the same yesterday, today, and forever. No situation is too big for him. No person is too small for him. His providential purposes not only incorporate, but often rest upon, hopeless, impossible…

  • A Voice in the Silence

    A Voice in the Silence

    Sep 10, 2023 • 37:40

    God’s voice has not gone silent, even amidst our own wicked generation. He still deals patiently with people and speaks powerfully through his word—the word entrusted to his church that has been given a window of opportunity to proclaim it to the world. Speaker: Sean Scribner Series: Choices Scripture: I Samuel…

  • Anything but God

    Anything but God

    Sep 17, 2023 • 43:18

    Despite Israel’s hardness of heart, God was determined to make a people for himself. He is looking for those who will put away all their substitutes and seek not just his will, but God himself. Speaker: Sean Scribner Series: Choices Scripture: I Samuel 8

  • You Had One Job!

    You Had One Job!

    Sep 24, 2023 • 48:42

    Yahweh is the kind of God who invites people into his plans and purposes. As Saul is revealed to be a failure as king, hope still remains. God will raise up another, a man after his own heart, from whom will come the King of all Kings! Speaker: Sean Scribner…

  • The Lord's Anointed

    The Lord's Anointed

    Oct 8, 2023 • 32:32

    At our time of deepest despair, the word of God comes to remind us that God is in control. He has chosen his Anointed One, and his plans and purposes can be trusted. It is up to the people of God to choose to trust him. Speaker: Sean Scribner Series: Choices…

  • For the Glory of God Alone

    For the Glory of God Alone

    Oct 15, 2023 • 51:26

    The story of David and Goliath teaches us that having God and his word at the center of your life changes the calculus entirely. What matters is not having instruments of human power by your side, but the one true God of Israel who saves. In his eyes, the real…

  • Meeting God in a Cave

    Meeting God in a Cave

    Oct 22, 2023 • 51:24

    Speaker: Karl Bowden Series: Choices Scripture: I Samuel 24 and Psalm 57

  • Into the Darkness

    Into the Darkness

    Oct 29, 2023 • 42:37

    Who better to turn to when times are dark than the one who alone has the power to transform darkness into light! Jesus Christ offers what you and I need most: Not information or knowledge of the future, or the means to control nature or fate, but intimacy and fellowship…

  • When Life Comes at You Fast

    When Life Comes at You Fast

    Nov 5, 2023 • 32:42

    Where do you turn when the going gets tough? Turn to Jesus Christ, the one who suffered for you. He has entered into the depths of the human condition, conquered our greatest enemies, and freely shares the plunders of his grace. Speaker: Sean Scribner Series: Choices Scripture: I Samuel 30