LCC Sunday Messages

Jesus offers us something each of us desires deep down where we live, something this world can not give: peace with God and peace within. Peace right here. Peace right now. He also expects that the peace He gives us will flow through us to others. This morning, as we continue our series on the Sermon on the Mount, we’ll be examining what it looks like to be a peacemaker and why it is so essential that every believer strives to be one.

Peace. We all want it. Yet the peace that the world offers is only superficial. However, the peace that Jesus offers is a radical peace, peace we can count on, even when we're in the middle of a storm.

"Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God." Matthew 5:8

Today's culture in many ways is consumed by outward appearance. Do you have the trappings of "success"? Do you look a certain way? Drive the right car? Have the right career? Live in the right neighborhood with the right house? In America many measure us solely by appearances.

But the Lord looks at the heart. He is concerned about our inward appearance. Today we will examine the next beatitude "Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God." Matthew 5:8 Today we will get to the heart of the matter, the matter of the heart!

Blessed are the merciful, for they will be shown mercy. - Matthew 5:7

What is mercy? According to the dictionary, to be merciful means to be compassionate toward another, especially an enemy or an offender. So is this what Jesus meant when He said, Blessed are
the merciful, for they will be shown mercy?

In the New Testament, to be merciful includes both the idea of feeling pity for others and demonstrating compassion toward them. So what
exactly does this look like? This morning we’ll find out.

Ever heard or said the following:

"When are we going to eat? I'm starving!"

"I'm dying of thirst!"

Funny, isn't' it? All of us have said the above or something like that during our lives. We have at times felt hunger and thirst, but probably never to the degree of being near death. This week we will look at what it means to hunger and thirst for something that should matter to us spiritually, righteousness. What does that kind of hunger and thirst look like and what is God's promise to us?

"Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted." Matthew 5:4

As we continue our journey through the Sermon on the Mount, we come to the second of the "beatitudes." Jesus states that those who mourn are blessed and shall be comforted. On the surface, one may simply think this applies to any sorrow, but today we will see that Jesus desires to comfort those whose hearts are broken over the very things that break the heart of God, namely sin that separates. There is hope in Jesus, and comfort is here!

"...being confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus."

Spring is the time of year when we think about sprucing up the old homestead. We clean out garages, plant flowers, mulch, and of course, clean, clean, clean. Well, at least we intend to do those things.

Truth be told, whether you are cleaning, organizing, or gardening, the work is never done. Funny, isn’t it? It’s the same way in our spiritual lives. God has begun a new work in us and continues that “good” work until we enter eternity. Today we are going to look at the faithfulness of God. As followers of Jesus, we must remember that He works on, in, and through us. We are all works in progress!

When Maryland was a young state, and Calvert was its largest county, crime and punishment was handled quite differently than today. Christianity also played a prominent role within Maryland's colonial life and government. This morning, as we celebrate Law Enforcement Appreciation Day, we’ll be looking at examples of crime and punishment in early Maryland, and how much Christianity shaped and influenced life in colonial Maryland.