In this episode we consider the scriptures associated with Christmas from the standpoint of some passages we studied in Jesus' Sermon on the Mount - the Beatitudes, the Lord's Prayer, and even the Sheep and the Goats passage from Matthew 25.

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Music "Front Porch" by Adam Selzer, see https://openchurch.com/free-download/front-porch-1011834/, (CC-BY-SA-3.0)

Scripture quotations are from the Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV®. Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.™ Used by permission of Zondervan.

In this episode we consider three advents of Jesus. He has come, He is coming, and He will come!

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Music "Front Porch" by Adam Selzer, see https://openchurch.com/free-download/front-porch-1011834/, (CC-BY-SA-3.0)

Scripture quotations are from the Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV®. Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.™ Used by permission of Zondervan.

In this episode we conclude our series on Jesus' Sermon on the Mount, covering his challenge to "build our house on the rock." We consider in some detail a foolish plan for life that is building on sand.

We encourage everyone to check out the Bible Project series at https://bibleproject.com/playlists/ and https://bibleproject.com/podcasts/the-bible-project-podcast/.

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Music by Adam Selzer: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/...

Scripture quotations are from the Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV®. Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.™ Used by permission of Zondervan.

Scriptures translated by Bible Project are Copyright © 2024 by BibleProject and used under these terms: https://bibleproject.com/terms/. Learn more about the Bible Project at https://bibleproject.com/.

Scripture quotations from THE MESSAGE are copyright © 1993, 2002, 2018 by Eugene H. Peterson. Used by permission of NavPress. All rights reserved. Represented by Tyndale House Publishers, Inc.

We've arrived at the concluding challenge section of Jesus' Sermon on the Mount. In this podcast the focus is Jesus' warning against the danger of false prophets.

The podcast from last time that reviews the Sermon on the Mount, as referred to in this episode can be found at https://five.libsyn.com/show/episodes/view/33713342

The Long Beach Ministers Alliance Post-Election Prayer Video can be viewed at https://youtu.be/ul-2wOc9hYM

We encourage everyone to check out the Bible Project series at https://bibleproject.com/playlists/ and https://bibleproject.com/podcasts/the-bible-project-podcast/.

Visit us on the web: https://www.lbfc.org.

Give: https://www.paypal.com/donate?hosted_button_id=3ZJ93YXC6X9AS

Music by Adam Selzer: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/...

Scripture quotations are from the Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV®. Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.™ Used by permission of Zondervan.

Scriptures translated by Bible Project are Copyright © 2024 by BibleProject and used under these terms: https://bibleproject.com/terms/. Learn more about the Bible Project at https://bibleproject.com/.

We've arrived at the concluding challenge section of Jesus' Sermon on the Mount. In this podcast we briefly review the sermon so far, and then focus on the images of two gates that Jesus uses in his conclusion: one small opening to a narrow road and one broad leading to an easy road. We also take a little detour into a discussion of "many" and "few" with respect to who finds the gate that lead to life.

We encourage everyone to check out the Bible Project series at https://bibleproject.com/playlists/ and https://bibleproject.com/podcasts/the-bible-project-podcast/.

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Music by Adam Selzer: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/...

Scripture quotations are from the Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV®. Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.™ Used by permission of Zondervan.

Jesus has taught us to seek first God's kingdom and right relationships - and not to judge or condemn others, but to use discernment. He has moved into teaching us about our relationships with one another. And then, he says "Ask, Seek, Knock..." For what? We often take this passage out of context and miss Jesus' point.

This session includes a reference to the August 1, 2024 message that you can find here: https://five.libsyn.com/show/episodes/view/32390947

We encourage everyone to check out the Bible Project series at https://bibleproject.com/playlists/ and https://bibleproject.com/podcasts/the-bible-project-podcast/.

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Music by Adam Selzer: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/...

Scripture quotations are from the Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV®. Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.™ Used by permission of Zondervan.

Jesus' "Sermon on the Mount" has included his warning against hypocrisy, then his encouragement toward generosity, and last time we condluded with his admonition that we cannot serve both God and money! That naturally brings up our human inclination to worry about the future. This time, we consider Jesus' teaching to leave worry behind, instead seeking first God's kingdom and right relationships.

This session includes a reference to a written essay on discernment and clearness committees that you can find here: https://www.oaks2b.com/2012/02/14/a-discernment-process/

We encourage everyone to check out the Bible Project series at https://bibleproject.com/playlists/ and https://bibleproject.com/podcasts/the-bible-project-podcast/.

Visit us on the web: https://www.lbfc.org.

Give: https://www.paypal.com/donate?hosted_button_id=3ZJ93YXC6X9AS

Music by Adam Selzer: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/...

Scripture quotations are from the Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV®. Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.™ Used by permission of Zondervan.

We worked through Matthew 6.16-24, focusing on the purpose of prayer and fasting, and then on generosity. In this passage, Jesus talks about "storing up treasure in heaven." What is that, exactly?

We encourage everyone to check out the Bible Project series at https://bibleproject.com/playlists/ and https://bibleproject.com/podcasts/the-bible-project-podcast/.

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Give: https://www.paypal.com/donate?hosted_button_id=3ZJ93YXC6X9AS

Music by Adam Selzer: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/...

Scripture quotations are from the Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV®. Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.™ Used by permission of Zondervan.

Last time, we worked through Matthew 6.16-24, focusing on the purpose of prayer and fasting, and then on generosity. I touched on verse 24, the last verse; but I’d like to focus on it this time - the subject of Mammon, or money and wealth.

We encourage everyone to check out the Bible Project series at https://bibleproject.com/playlists/ and https://bibleproject.com/podcasts/the-bible-project-podcast/.

Visit us on the web: https://www.lbfc.org.

Give: https://www.paypal.com/donate?hosted_button_id=3ZJ93YXC6X9AS

Music by Adam Selzer: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/...

Scripture quotations are from the Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV®. Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.™ Used by permission of Zondervan.

After teaching his disciples what we call the Lord's Prayer, Jesus returns to the topic of hypocrisy - that is, in his terms, practicing religion and doing good deeds to be seen by others. He addresses fasting, generosity, our treasure, and having eyes to see. It's quite a profound line of thought, and a great treasure for those with eyes to see.

We encourage everyone to check out the Bible Project series at https://bibleproject.com/playlists/ and https://bibleproject.com/podcasts/the-bible-project-podcast/.

Visit us on the web: https://www.lbfc.org.

Give: https://www.paypal.com/donate?hosted_button_id=3ZJ93YXC6X9AS

Music by Adam Selzer: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/...

Scripture quotations are from the Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV®. Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.™ Used by permission of Zondervan.