Line Upon Line

Continuing the Sermon on the Mount series, Pastor Miles examines Matthew 6 and Jesus' teaching on charity, prayer, fasting, and especially wealth, calling believers to lay up treasure in heaven rather than earth. The core lesson: our focus determines our devotion, so we must seek first the kingdom of God and refuse to divide our loyalty between God and riches.

Pastor Miles launches the "Unmasking Jesus" series by showing that Jesus is the Word made flesh who unveils the full glory of God, and that beholding Him transforms us. Drawing on the opening Beatitudes and the call to perfection in the Sermon on the Mount, he argues that righteousness comes not by rule-keeping but by recognizing our poverty of spirit and receiving Christ's righteousness, so that we are transformed to reflect Him to the world.

A Resurrection Sunday message tracing the life and failures of Simon Peter through the Gospels, culminating in the angel's words "go and tell his disciples and Peter" — a reminder that the glorious good news of the resurrection is that Jesus Christ forgives failures and sinners.

On Palm Sunday, Pastor Miles teaches from Deuteronomy 16 on Israel's appointed feasts—Passover, Pentecost, and Tabernacles—showing how these times of rest, remembrance, and rejoicing ultimately point forward to Christ. He traces the Passover lamb from Exodus 12 to its fulfillment in Jesus, the Lamb of God, leading into communion.

Prompted by the Will Smith–Chris Rock incident at the Oscars, Pastor Miles examines the biblical concept of *lex talionis* (the law of retaliation) from Genesis through the law of Moses to Jesus' Sermon on the Mount, arguing that "an eye for an eye" was a limitation rather than a license. He concludes that the way of Christ is the way of mercy, since God showed us mercy when we deserved retribution.

Continuing through Deuteronomy 15, Pastor Miles teaches the biblical principles of the sabbatical release of debts, generosity to the poor, and stewardship of wealth, showing that economic exploitation always brings a curse while open-handed obedience brings God's blessing. The teaching distinguishes the tithe from charity and frames believers as stewards, not owners, who are blessed in order to be a blessing.

Continuing in Deuteronomy 14, Pastor Miles teaches that as children of God, our Father has a say in how we view and prioritize our money, focusing on the biblical principle of the tithe. He explains what the tithe is, why we give it both before and after the law, and how to practically apply it as joyful, cheerful New Testament worship that God promises to bless.

Drawing from Deuteronomy 14, Pastor Miles teaches that to be a child of God means surrendering lordship over one's own body—both what we do to it and what we put into it—because we have been bought with a price and belong to God as our Father. He contrasts this counter-cultural, surrendered mindset with our culture's worship of personal autonomy and warns against using these principles to judge or distance ourselves from others.

Continuing the verse-by-verse study of Deuteronomy, this teaching from chapter 13 warns that beyond merely forgetting God, believers face the more dangerous threat of being seduced and deceived away from faithfulness. Moses charges Israel to guard against false prophets, deceptive dreamers, and corrosive relationships, dealing decisively with anything that would pull them from wholehearted devotion to the Lord.

Teaching from Deuteronomy 12, Pastor Miles examines proper worship under four headings—the place, pattern, purity, and purpose of Israel's worship—and applies these to the Christian's call to sanctification, tearing down idols and exalting Christ alone. He frames the message with hope from Matthew 24 and John 14 for living unshaken in tumultuous times.