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Sermon on the mount series message 22
Text: Matthew 7:12
The crowning piece to Jesus' preaching is the familiar ‘Golden Rule.’ This concept echoes throughout the NT but never as a means to merit our way into the Kingdom. It's a helpful summation of the heart of God throughout the Old Testament and framework from which to operate. It ends Jesus' teaching on practical Christian living and gives way to His penetrating treatment of judgement.
Sermon on the mount series message 21
Text: Matthew 7:7-11
Ask and it will be given to you. Really? Can I ask for anything? Does this mean all of my prayers should be answered? If they aren't, am I doing something wrong? The reality is that there is often confusion when it comes to prayer, but that is not how it is supposed to be. This Sunday we will see how Jesus' instruction to pray fits with the rest of the Sermon on the Mount up to this point and how it reveals the heart of God toward His people.
Supplemental message
Text: Hebrews 11:39-12:2
I'm hitting the pause button on the Sermon on the Mount. This week marks the one year anniversary of losing Joyce and Joseph Sanders. As we all know, our losses almost seem incomprehensible since that time. So I want to pause and reflect, acknowledging what we've experienced, and begin to help us all to move forward - particularly as the pandemic restrictions in our area are beginning to loosen. Key concepts will be to "walk in a manner worthy of our calling" (Ephesians 4) and "run the race" from Hebrews 12. We have each been called to glory and will enter into that glory by His grace, as heirs of God and co-heirs of Christ. Our present suffering is not even worthy to be compared to what's ahead.
Sermon on the mount series message 20
Text: Matthew 7:1-6
It is true Jesus teaches us not to be hypocritical in judging others, but Jesus is not teaching that we should incorrectly judge in discerning truth from error, or sin from righteousness. On this Mother's Day, we'll present a balanced biblical picture of the right and wrong way to judge - an important aspect of raising kids!
Sermon on the mount series message 19
Text: Matthew 6:25-34
The flip side of “do not” lay up for yourselves treasures on earth is “do not” be anxious for - or chase after - those temporal treasures but rather trust God for His provision. God knows you and cares for you! We can trust Him.
Sermon on the mount series message 18
Text: Matthew 6:19-25
Such a beautiful and well known passage! We constantly need the reminder to set our affections on things above, to not live for the temporary but to live with an eternal perspective. We'll draw out some lesser known truths and concepts associated with Jesus' profound teaching on our treasures.
Sermon on the mount series message 17
Text: Matthew 6:16-18
Jesus has spoken to prayer and giving; now He speaks to a third act of worship - fasting. Utilizing our five ‘buckets’, we'll again see how piety should be fleshed-out in our walk with Christ. In the following three messages we'll focus on life principles which are intrinsic to everyday life: our eternal perspective, worry, and judging others.
Sermon on the mount series message 16
Text: Matthew 6:1-15
We've just completed a section in which Jesus contrasts the Pharisees' application to Old Testament teachings to His own application - naturally, Jesus shows us the heart of God in the matter, while also showing us the futility of establishing our own righteousness through keeping the Ten Commandments and such. Our next section - chapter six - shows us how to live as Christ-followers. Once again, Jesus contrasts the Pharisaical approach to religion with a vision of how godly faith works itself out. "You've heard it said...but I tell you" is replaced by, "You've seen it done this way but...well, don't do that!" In this message, we'll talk about giving and praying. Key concept? Christian living is about heart transformation and an Audience of One - not about a hypocritical show of your good works.
Text: Acts 2:22-36
This has been a tough year for us (all), I've never had to eulogize so many people. No one would have thought, a year ago, that we'd still not all be gathered for worship on this Resurrection Sunday. God is using this time to refine us and deepen our walk with Him. On Sunday, we'll examine the first recorded apostolic preaching of the resurrection - our friend Peter roots it thoroughly in the Old Testament and shows us it is our way of escape from the power and penalty of sin. Special attention will be given to the role of the Holy Spirit in the resurrection - an angle often overlooked, though it provides great encouragement and perspective as we preach through the Sermon on the Mount!
Sermon on the mount series message 15
Text: Matthew 5:43-48
Love your enemies! This is installment #6 of Jesus' series of lessons in which He contrasts the true heart of God with what the people are hearing from the religious leaders. This one hits home as we are told to not only love our neighbor but love our enemies and to pray for them! Lots of life application for us in this passage. We'll also prepare for the hope of the gospel through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead (Easter!) through His bookend comments, your righteousness must exceed that of the Pharisees and be perfect, as your Heavenly Father is perfect.
Sermon on the mount series message 14
Text: Matthew 5:33-42
The Pharisees had turned oath-taking into a three ring circus, woven into every day speech with ridiculous intricacy. Jesus points out a better way: why not simply be trustworthy in all that we say? Provision likewise was given for reprisal but, once again, Jesus shows a superior way to the Pharisees' misapplication of God's truth. As profound as His teachings are, His primary design is to prepare us for the gospel and show the futility of seeking entrance into the Kingdom via our own merit.
Sermon on the mount series message 13
Text: Matthew 5:27-32
In the ‘Sermon on the Mount’ Jesus turns our natural understanding of blessing and righteousness upside down. The Pharisees made the relationship with God all about the Law, but human nature responds to laws by finding the loopholes. Fallen humanity tries to figure out how we can get what we want while, technically, not breaking the law. Jesus, on the other hand, offers us life without loopholes as he addresses the issues of adultery, temptation, and our heart.
Sermon on the mount series message 12
Text: Matthew 5:21-30
A series of six consecutive "You've heard it said...but I tell you" statements present a correct posture of obedience compared to what the Pharisees offered through their instruction and example. Jesus always drilled deep in His teaching and required obedience from the heart. This message: murder and reconciliation.
Sermon on the mount message 11
Text: Matthew 5:21-26
Jesus not only endorsed the law but claimed He would fulfill it! That, plus His follow-up statements, all but ensured His adversarial relationship to the religious establishment. A series of six consecutive "You've heard it said...but I tell you" statements present a superior posture of obedience to what the Pharisees offered through their instruction and example. He begins by addressing murderous and angry actions and demonstrates the importance of relational harmony and reconciliation. Jesus always drilled deep in His teaching and required obedience from the heart.
Sermon on the mount series message 10
Text: Matthew 5:17-20
As Jesus develops the heart of His discourse, He speaks to what may feel tangential or even unnecessary: His value judgement on the law. It is, after all, the straightedge by which the religious leaders were analyzing Him. Even stepping into the shallow end of His teaching rewards us with stunning insight into the fullness, the beauty, and the power of Jesus' ministry. The glory of the gospel is on full display! Dwelling on these truths will enrich and develop our confidence in the finished work of Christ on our behalf.
Sermon on the Mount series message 9
Text: Matthew 5:14-16
Having just spoken of salt, Jesus now employs a complementary analogy: light. What is compelling about this is He confers on His disciples what He uses to describe Himself! We will develop what it means for Jesus to be the light of the world, and in turn, what it means for Christians (‘little Christs’) to take that role until He comes. We will also see how ‘salt’ and ‘light’ interface as descriptions of Jesus followers.
Sermon on the Mount series message 8
Text: Matthew 5:13
Last week we saw that every follower of Jesus should expect trials and that our response should show Christ to the world around us, to be ‘salt'. Our mission to the world doesn’t stop when life is painful. But what happens when we fail, even walk away under the circumstances? What happens if we lose our saltiness? While flavorless salt might only be good to be trampled by people, behold, God’s steadfast love in Christ means our flavor can be restored.
Sermon on the Mount series message 7
Text: Matthew 5:1-12
The final beatitude presents a remarkable concept: persecution for Christ's sake should evoke joy, not despair. Jesus bookends His teaching with the simple declaration: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. As we return to the Sermon on the Mount, we wrap up the Beatitudes, which speak to both the entrance into and essence of Kingdom living. Those who suffer for Christ's sake find occasion for exceeding joy as the genuineness of faith is affirmed and our heavenly reward ensured.
This week we hear from our missionaries to Togo, West Africa. They will update us on the ministry as well as bring a message on missions. You can find out more about the Gayles here.