May 18, 2025 | Matthew 6:1-6,16-18 |

In today’s world, appearance often trumps authenticity. Social media thrives on applause. Our culture encourages us to project a curated image—whether through photos, achievements, or even spiritual acts, like saying we’ll pray for someone or give to some cause we say we care about. But what if the pursuit of human recognition corrupts our faith? What if God isn’t impressed by our outward acts at all, but is instead watching our hearts? Watching our motives?

That’s really been the theme of the Sermon on the Mount—Jesus shifting the focus from outward behavior to inward transformation. He’s moved the emphasis of the Law from external compliance to internal motives. And now, in Matthew 6, He turns to our spiritual practices, not to say we shouldn’t do them, but to teach us how and why we should. He challenges us to examine not just what we do, but why we do it. For in the Kingdom of God, the heart and its motives and attitudes matter most.

In Matthew 6:1-6; 16-18, Jesus warned His disciples against practicing acts of righteousness with the motive of human recognition rather than God’s.

May 11, 2025 | Matthew 5:38-48 |

Have you ever been wronged so deeply that your first instinct was to strike back? Maybe it was a harsh word, a betrayal, or someone who simply made your life miserable. The world teaches us to stand our ground, defend our rights, and get even. But in the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus offers us a different way—a kingdom way.

Jesus calls His followers not to live by the law of retaliation but by the law of love. Kingdom love doesn’t play by the world’s rules. It refuses revenge. It reaches across enemy lines. And it reflects the heart of God. What does love in the kingdom look like according to Jesus?

In the gospel of Matthew 5:31-37, Jesus taught His disciples that true righteousness in the kingdom of heaven required a greater love than what was taught by the religious leaders of that day. As Kingdom citizens, we can answer Christ’s call to live according to His greater love.

May 4, 2025 | Matthew 5:31-37 |

Today, we’ll be focusing on Matthew 5:31-37. We’ve titled this sermon: FAITHFULNESS IN THE KINGDOM because it addresses King Jesus’ call to be faithful in keeping the marriage covenant and in our daily communication.

In the gospel of Matthew 5:31-37, Jesus taught His disciples that true righteousness in the kingdom of heaven required a deeper faithfulness to the commitments they made than what was taught by the religious leaders of that day. As Kingdom citizens we are called to pursue faithfulness in all our commitments.

April 27, 2025 | Matthew 5:27-30 |

Today, Jesus takes us into one of the most personal and challenging areas of life—our sexual purity. In a world flooded with temptation, sensuality, and distorted views of love, Jesus speaks with clarity and authority. He doesn’t lower the bar. He raises it to the level of the heart!

Let’s be honest, no one escapes this struggle untouched. Lust isn’t just a temptation we battle out there in the world. It’s a battle in here, in our hearts. If we’re going to live as faithful citizens of God’s Kingdom, if we’re going to live counter to the world’s culture as salt and light, we need more than just a pursuit of outward obedience, trying to keep ourselves pure through self-effort. We need transformation of the heart! In our text today, Jesus exposes the root of our problem and calls us to radical, grace-filled purity.

In the gospel of Matthew 5:27-30, Jesus confronted His hearers with the deeper intent of the Law, exposing the seriousness of lust as adultery of the heart, and calling them to a life of sexual purity as true citizens of God’s kingdom.

April 13, 2025 | Matthew 5:21-26 |

We live in a world filled with division, uncontrolled anger, and broken relationships. Whether in families, communities, or workplaces, unresolved conflict is a barrier to true peace. We’re hearing of fathers and sons being at odds over politics, over how they voted. We’re seeing mothers and daughters fighting over gender issues and appropriate pronouns. Neighbors are ripping up yard signs, pulling down flags, and keying one another’s cars. Even in the church, we struggle with unresolved conflict that disrupts our unity. People leave their community group, their youth group, or even the church over discord, rather than learning to reconcile with one another.

Yet Jesus calls us to pursue reconciliation as an essential element of living in His Kingdom. But how can we understand its importance?

In the Gospel of Matthew 5:21–26, Jesus confronted His hearers with the deeper intent of the Law by exposing the seriousness of unresolved anger and urging them to pursue reconciliation as true citizens of God’s kingdom.

April 6, 2025 | Matthew 5:17-20 |

In our text this week, Jesus transitions from His discussion of the character of Kingdom citizens (the Beatitudes), and the influence Kingdom citizens are to have in this world (salt/light), to those whom He calls great in the Kingdom of Heaven. He says that greatness in the Kingdom is connected to how we view the Bible, its commandments and how we view righteousness.

Indeed, if we are to consider Jesus our King, then we must look at the Bible through His eyes! In the gospel of Matthew 5:17-20, Jesus called those who saw the Bible through His eyes great in the Kingdom of Heaven. We can be among those whom Christ calls great in the Kingdom.

March 30, 2025 | Matthew 5:13-16 |

Last week, we studied the Beatitudes, the blessings of Kingdom living in Matthew 5:1-12.

Today, we’ll be looking at Mathew 5:13-16, which as Dr. Danny Akin says, “flows naturally out of the Beatitudes.” For as he says it is “taking on and exhibiting the character of the Beatitudes that makes it possible for us to be salt and light on the earth”

While the Beatitudes describe the inner character and blessed state of those who follow Jesus as King, these next verses describe how we are to live as Kingdom people outwardly in this world.

How are we to live as Kingdom people? What does Jesus have to say about this? In the gospel of Matthew 5:13-16, Jesus used the two powerful metaphors of salt and light to call His disciples to faithfully bear witness of His transforming power by living as Kingdom people.