Matthew 7:24-29, “the coming storm” [Listen]

Jesus finishes this lengthy section (Matthew 5-7) talking about the importance of acting on his words. Failure to do so will result in catastrophe. Read the rest of this entry »

Matthew 7:15-23, “false prophets” [Listen]

There are false prophets / teachers all around us these days. This is a very appropriate warning for us. Read the rest of this entry »

Matthew 7:12-14, “the narrow gate” [Listen]

As Jesus is closing out this lengthy exposition of who he is, what the Kingdom looks like, and what the people of God look like, he is asking for a commitment – the biggest commitment anyone can make. All of our study in Matthew 5-7 have been designed to move the hearer to this point. Read the rest of this entry »

Matthew 7:7-11, “ask, seek, knock” [Listen]

Jesus is now beginning to close his discourse. In Matthew 5-7 he has boldly challenged his hearers to think about being the people of God in a way that was different from their religious programming. In fact, Jesus was very confrontational in laying the truth before his listeners. In his words we hear about the people the Holy Spirit creates as Jesus becomes their treasure. He repeatedly challenged the rightness of the religious leadership. It could very easily sound as if Jesus was attempting to overthrow the current power base – he was. To make matters worse, he just finished comparing the religious leadership of the day to pigs and dogs. He was really stretching the minds of anyone who would listen. You can easily imagine all the doubts and uncertainty that would come up after hearing this. And so now he says: Read the rest of this entry »

Matthew 7:1-6, “don’t judge” [Listen]

In many ways the essence of sin can be seen in humanity’s desire to be God. We want to do things our way, we want to dominate, control, and use people for our own purposes. In October we talked about lust – wanting to use someone (in this case sexually) without an appropriate commitment to their welfare. Today we’re going to talk about another outcome of our desire to be God – the judgment of others. Read the rest of this entry »

Matthew 6:25-35, “don’t worry – trust God, [Listen]

Life is frail. Today we can be healthy and employed, thinking about how much we have – and tomorrow we could be without work or dying of cancer – life has always been frail. How foolish we are when we spend our God-given energy to pursue the frail treasures of this world. Read the rest of this entry »

Matthew 6:19-24, “living for the kingdom” [Listen]

Did you know God wants you rich beyond your wildest dreams? It’s absolutely true. Read the rest of this entry »

Matthew 6:16-18, “fasting for the kingdom” [Listen]

This passage anything but mundane for us today. Read the rest of this entry »

Matthew 6:7-15, “the Lord’s prayer” – part 2 [Listen]

As you may know, the concept of prayer and the topic of prayer runs throughout Scripture. Some of Jesus’ most amazing promises were made about prayer. Read the rest of this entry »

Matthew 6:5-10, “the Lord’s prayer” – part 1 [Listen]

This section is familiar to many and very profound. The Lord’s prayer (or the Disciples Prayer) gives us a glimpse into how Jesus would have us pray and what we should pray for. Read the rest of this entry »

Matthew 5:38-48, “eye for eye and tooth for tooth” [Listen]

How we react to our “enemies” is a barometer of our spiritual maturity. Read the rest of this entry »

Matthew 5:33-37, “let your “yes” be yes and your “no” be no” [Listen]

One of the questions we must answer after reading this passage is, “Are Christians prohibited from taking an oath?” Read the rest of this entry »

Matthew 6:1-4, “is God’s reward enough?” [listen]

Should the Christian really do “acts of righteousness” with rewards as a motive? Read the rest of this entry »

Matthew 5:31-32, “Jesus’ concise view of divorce” [No Audio]

There are very few things as painful – it is often more heart wrenching than the death of a spouse. Read the rest of this entry »

Matthew 5:23-24, “seek reconciliation NOW!” [Listen]

When Jesus shows us God’s heart for his people I am often amazed at how I fall short. Just when I think I’m making real progress, I see that I’m far from where I should be and, as is so often the case, Jesus would move my heart to a place I would never go on my own. Read the rest of this entry »