Sunday Sermon by Kevin Jensen — To close his great Sermon on the Mount, Jesus reminds us of how good God is to us: God gives good things to us when we ask. Then, as Moses did with the Israelites in much earlier times, Jesus calls his listeners to decide whether we will truly seek God—whether we will walk the narrow road, bear good fruit in our lives, do the will of our Father, and build our lives on the firm foundation of the teachings of Jesus. Texts: Matthew 7:7-29 and selections from Deuteronomy 11

Sunday Sermon by Kevin Jensen — As he continues his Sermon on the Mount, Jesus teaches not to judge—or does he? His teaching on this topic seems contradictory: first he says, "Do not judge," but then he calls us to judge the character of others. This seeming contradiction points us to the complexity of judging wisely and our need to judge ourselves before we humbly judge others. In this teaching, Jesus teaches us how to judge in a godly manner, always extending to others the mercy that we would want God to extend when he judges us. Text: Matthew 7:1-6

Season 4, Episode 48 — December 3, 2023
Depending on God — Sunday Sermon, December 3, 2023
Sunday Sermon by Kevin Jensen — In his great Sermon on the Mount, Jesus teaches us not to pursue temporary, earthly treasures, but heavenly treasures, which are eternal. He calls us to be generous with our money, and not to let money be our master—but only God, our true Master. We can do these things because we know God, our good Father, always provides what we need. So we do not need to worry about such things; we need only to focus our lives around God's kingdom and his righteousness, and God will provide everything else for us. To do otherwise would be idolatry, putting our trust in something other than God. Text: Matthew 6:19-34

Sunday Sermon by Kevin Jensen — Jesus taught his disciples to pray as he did in his model prayer. Are we to pray his exact words, or simply in a similar style? Or perhaps that's not Jesus' point. More important than any set words is the heart with which we pray—and Jesus' model prayer calls us to be people whose heart truly seeks God. Text: Matthew 6:5-15

Sunday Sermon by Kevin Jensen — Early in the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus taught us to let our light shine before others. Should we, then, advertise our good deeds for God on a billboard, try to draw attention to ourselves? Jesus warns  us against seeking attention and praise from other people through our acts of righteousness. But if we will serve God quietly—let our light shine in secret—God will see what we do in secret, and he will reward us. Text: Matthew 6:1-18

Sunday Sermon by Kevin Jensen — In his great Sermon on the Mount, Jesus challenges a common but corrupted interpretation of God's law of justice, "eye for eye and tooth for tooth." He teaches his followers not to seek revenge, and to go beyond justice to mercy—even to the point of loving our enemies, so that we may be true children of God. Texts: Matthew 5:38-48

Sunday Sermon by Kevin Jensen — Continuing his Sermon on the Mount, Jesus teaches his followers not to swear oaths. But is simply not swearing an oath what God desires of us? No—God, who always tells the truth, calls us to be people of integrity, people who keep our word and who (like him) always speak what is true. Texts: Matthew 5:33-37 & James 5:1-12

Sunday Sermon by Phil Diaz — God has given us so many commands and instructions. How can we keep them all? How can we even remember them all? To help us do what God teaches us, we focus in on a single command that encapsulates all the rest, a command we can carry with us every day and everywhere we go. Texts: Luke 6:31

Sunday Sermon by Kevin Jensen — In his Sermon on the Mount, Jesus gives us commands relating to our marriage vows, teaching us not to commit adultery in either the physical act or in the heart, and teaching us not to divorce. With these commands, plus similar teaching on divorce later in his ministry and then from the apostle Paul, we learn not merely to abstain from adultery and divorce, but to honor each other's marriage vows, and to devote ourselves to keeping our own. Texts: Matthew 5:27-32 & 19:1-12, 1 Corinthians 7:10-16

Sunday Sermon by Kevin Jensen — As he continues his Sermon on the Mount, Jesus warns his followers to do more than just the minimum that God's law requires—to follow the spirit of the law, not just the letter of the law. In his first illustration of this principle, he talks about murder. Is it enough to merely refrain from murdering? No; what God desires is that we control our anger and our words, and that we seek reconciliation with those whom we have wronged.  Text: Matthew 5:17-26