GSC Loveland

Jesus isn't against treasure. He's inviting us to invest in something that lasts. In a world that constantly tells us we need more, Jesus challenges us to think differently about what we value and where we place our trust. In Matthew 6, we're reminded that where our treasure is, our hearts will follow. What would it look like to live with open hands, generous hearts, and our eyes fixed on God's Kingdom rather than the things of this world?

Jesus doesn't say if you pray, but when you pray. Through the Lord's Prayer, Jesus teaches us what it looks like to approach God as our Father, seek His Kingdom, trust Him for our daily needs, extend forgiveness, and depend on His protection. But prayer isn't just about what we say. It's about trusting that God hears us and responds. When we struggle to pray, it may reveal where we're struggling to trust Him. Prayer is ultimately an act of faith, putting our dependence on God into practice.

This week in Astonished, we continued through the Sermon on the Mount, looking at what Jesus teaches about giving, prayer, and fasting. Jesus isn't asking us to hide our faith. He's asking us to examine our hearts. Are we doing these things to be seen by others, or out of a genuine love for God?

Jesus invites us to live for an Audience of One. We can give generously, pray faithfully, and let our light shine, not to earn approval or recognition, but to point others to Him. Because the beautiful truth of the gospel is that we don't have to work for the Father's approval. In Jesus, we get to live from it.

Jesus calls us to a kind of love that goes far beyond what comes naturally. When we're hurt, our instinct is to get even, defend ourselves, or make someone pay. But Jesus invites us into something extraordinary: not just refusing to hurt those who hurt us, but choosing to seek their good. This kind of love isn't something we can manufacture on our own. It begins with experiencing the depth of God's love for us and allowing that love to change how we respond to others, even those who are hardest to love.

Jesus calls us to be people whose words can be trusted. We shouldn’t need fine print, exaggeration or extra promises to make what we say believable. Instead, Jesus invites us to live with integrity, where our yes means yes, our no means no and our words reflect both grace and truth. Because every word we speak is already spoken before the King.

Jesus takes the command against adultery far beyond outward behavior and goes straight after the heart. He shows us how unchecked desire can grow into lust, secrecy, broken trust, and ultimately broken relationships.
But Jesus’ invitation isn’t shame. It’s freedom. He calls us to catch sin early, fight it seriously, protect the covenant of marriage, and refuse to make peace with what pulls our hearts away from Him.

And when we fail, we run to Jesus, our faithful Bridegroom, who meets us with grace, restores what sin has broken, and calls us into freedom and holiness.

Jesus takes anger beyond our outward actions and invites us to examine what’s happening in our hearts. Hurt, offense, bitterness, and resentment can build up when left unchecked. But Jesus calls us to something better: allowing Him to search our hearts, pursuing reconciliation wherever possible, and extending the same grace to others that we’ve received through the cross.

Jesus doesn’t just give us a new way to live. He gives us a new identity: you are salt and you are light. Salt changes what it touches, and light pushes back darkness. As people of His Kingdom, our faith is meant to make a real difference in the world around us!

We’re kicking off Astonished, our new series through the Sermon on the Mount. Through the Beatitudes, Jesus turns our idea of the good life upside down, showing us that true flourishing begins with recognizing our need for Him and living in deeper dependence on our King.

This week, we’re asking how Christians should think about modern Israel. Scripture points us beyond the headlines to a deeper spiritual battle unfolding within God’s redemptive story. Our response isn’t fear, hatred, or political allegiance, but discernment, compassion, prayer, and confidence in this truth: the Lamb wins.