Matthew 6:19-24

Barbara Sunofsky. Don’t you just love how Jesus brings things right back to our hearts and challenges us with our idols? Because ultimately that is what our earthly treasures all are, idols. Jesus has a way of reaching down to the epicenter of our souls and asking our hearts to see what alone we cannot see. Something more than the use of our natural eyes must happen when we allow Him to show us then as the people of Jesus find their treasure in Jesus.

Matthew 6: 1-5, 16-18

Barbara Sunofsky. In this passage, Jesus addresses the motivations behind our religious practices.  He lifts up a new possibility…that rather than needing to be approved of and seen by others, we have the opportunity to be seen, truly seen, by God. He tells us that if we want the notice of others, then that becomes our reward; and those of us who do so are hypocrites, a term he often used to describe the Pharisees of his day. That false identity is designed to elicit something…usually accolades and self-aggrandizement. We cannot make a mistake here and assign the title “hypocrite” only to others.  We, I, am the hypocrite.  We are well-intended, but mistaken in our self-glorification and God has so much more for us.    

Matthew 5:27-30

Brandon Cook. Jesus warns against letting our bodies be thrown into Gehenna, which we translate as “hell.” What does that mean, and what does Jesus and the Scripture say about this key concept of afterlife? In this message, we explore the possibility that much of our theology of the afterlife may be mis-shaped because of cultural influences, distorting our image of God.

Matthew 5:21-26

Brandon Cook. In the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus brilliantly upends spiritual maturity as it was understood in his day, by saying “You have heard…But I tell you…” And he teaches that God is most interested in a transformed heart, not just a shiny appearance. In this message, we explore how Jesus invites us to actually let God be with us in our lust and anger and how his entire spirituality is ultimately an invitation to letting God hold us in all of our contradictions.

Matthew 5:13-20

Steve Thomas. In the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus challenges both the ways of legalism and "I'm just going to do my own thing". While upholding the purpose of scripture, Jesus brings us back to the essential of relationship: loving God and loving others. In following Jesus model, we are indeed salt and light.

Matthew 5:11-18

Brandon Cook. The Sermon on the Mount is a roadmap to life in the Kingdom of God, an invitation to be transformed. In this message, we examine Jesus’ statement that he came not to abolish but to fulfill the Law given to Israel, opening up the pathway to transformation. Using M. Scott Peck’s description of spiritual growth in four stages, we analyze Jesus’ statement to see how Jesus calls us out of mere law-keeping or performance and into a life deeply grounded in the love and generosity of God.

Matthew 5:1-12

Ryan Longnecker. In the intro to our series 'Sermon on the Mount' we look at one of the most famous passages in Scripture, the Beatitudes. Jesus reminds us of God's promises to care for, defend, and comfort His people while also showing those who experience pain, persecution, and struggle might be closer to the Kingdom than they realize.