Scott gave us an update on what's happening with the work in Mozambique and then preached a message on keeping the faith and staying connected to Christ.

The greatest value in the Kingdom of God is not your freedom, it's considering others as more valuable than yourself by not being an unnecessary stumbling block.

The Transfiguration shows us who Jesus really is, and it also prophesies something about what Christ is shaping us into as well.

Jesus refused to bypass His suffering to lay hold of His kingship. Instead, He willingly embraced His suffering to win His crown on our behalf. Likewise, we cannot avoid our cross in our journey with Christ.

The Pharisees are obsessing about, and putting people in bondage over, what they eat and how they eat it (commandments of men). Yet they are NOT concerned about what comes OUT of a person’s mouth (commandments of God). What comes out of a person’s mouth indicates what is in their heart, and what comes out of a person’s mouth can defile their own heart and the heart of others.

Jesus fed around 10,000 people, to their fill, from basically nothing. And He did it on two different occasions. It a fantastical miracle, with deep meaning.

Jesus is intentionally teaching in a way that veil’s the truth. He is teaching in a way that avoids “throwing pearls before swine”. He is presenting the Truth in a way that only those who are truly seeking, who truly want to hear, will press in beyond the “veil” and perceive what Jesus is saying.

Those who have hardened their hearts towards Jesus will not understand, and will walk away frustrated. Those who are truly seeking, will press through and find faith.

Jesus interacted with demonized people on several occasions. In all of the interactions, His authority over them was absolute.

God is not interested in the sacrifices and ordinances so much as He is interested in what they point to and represent. He is after humility, mercy, love, justice, true worship, trust, and devotion. The Pharisees have none of these things (in this case, an obvious lack of mercy), yet they keep the letter of the law to an extreme.

Jesus pronounces judgement (Woe = great disaster/terrible pain) on the cities in which He has been performing so many miracles and declaring the good news of the Kingdom. They have seen the evidence of Him being the Messiah, they have heard the accompanying message of good news, yet they have not believed.

They have been given so much light, yet they still foolishly choose to remain in darkness.