Service 8/30/2026

Life is made up of hundreds of choices every day, from what to wear to life-altering decisions about careers and relationships. But in the conclusion to Jesus’s Sermon on the Mount, He presents the most critical choice of all: How will you respond to His words?

In this message, Pastor Kent unpacks the four black-and-white choices Jesus puts before all of humanity:

• The Narrow Road vs. The Wide Road: Why the popular path leads to destruction, while the harder, exclusive path with Christ leads to eternal life.

• Good Fruit vs. Bad Fruit: How to test spiritual leaders and teachings using biblical discernment.

• True vs. False Declarations of Faith: Why outward religious works mean nothing without an inward heart transformation surrendered to Jesus.

• Building on Rock vs. Sand: The difference between simply hearing God's word and actively putting it into practice when the storms of life arrive.

Every day presents a new opportunity to choose Jesus, build on a solid foundation, and align our hearts with His kingdom. The choice is yours will you hear His words and put them into practice?

In this message, Pastor John walks through the closing section of Jesus's famous Sermon on the Mount. Continuing our series on kingdom living, this message unpacks what it truly means to live in a Christlike, God-honoring community by examining some of the most famous and frequently misunderstood teachings of Jesus.

What are you carrying today that you were never meant to hold? In this Message, Pastor George explores Jesus’s message on worry from the Sermon on the Mount alongside Paul’s guidance in Philippians 4. Discover why worry isn't just a harmless habit, how it erodes our spiritual vitality, and the practical, scripture-grounded steps we can take to experience "the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding."

In this powerful message from Matthew 6, Jesse Schumacher dives into what Jesus truly teaches about money, possessions, and the human heart. Far from a financial planning lecture, Jesus' teaching cuts straight to the core of discipleship by asking a fundamental question: What are you really living for?

Are your spiritual habits driven by a desire for human approval or a heart submitted to Christ? Continuing in our series through the Sermon on the Mount, Pastor CJ explores the "Humble Habits" of the Christian life: giving, praying, and fasting.

Examining Jesus’ warnings against the performative religion of the Pharisees, this message reveals that spiritual growth isn't about legalistic striving or performing for others; it's about practicing devotion in secret for an Audience of One. When we surrender our desire for public praise, our Heavenly Father meets us in the secret place with the ultimate reward: more of His presence, character, and grace.

What does it truly mean to love the people who annoy, hurt, or oppose us? In this sermon from Pettisville Missionary Church, Pastor Kent dives into one of the most challenging sections of Jesus’ Sermon on the Mount: the call to love our enemies and pray for those who persecute us. Loving our enemies isn't about human willpower or condoning wrong behavior it’s about reflecting God’s non-discriminating "common grace" through the power of the Holy Spirit.

As we continue our journey through our series, "From the Mountain," Pastor John opens the scriptures to explore a topic that touches all of our lives, whether we are married or single: the beautiful, messy, and sacred design of marriage.

If you are jumping past the worship set straight into the teaching, Pastor John gently steers us away from what culture tells us relationships are about and guides us back to God's original blueprint. Grounded in Ephesians 5, Genesis 2, and Matthew 22, this week’s sermon is a humble reminder that our earthly relationships aren't just about our own happiness—they are meant to be a living picture of something much greater.

In this message, Pastor John walks us through:

• The Heart of Sacrificial Love: Looking at Paul's letters, we explore what it truly means to love, cherish, and care for one another selflessly, mirroring the grace that Christ shows the church every day.

• The "One Flesh" Design: Going back to the very beginning in Genesis, we look at God's intentional design for deep, spiritual unity between two people.

• A Shadow of the Real Thing: A comforting reminder that while earthly marriage is a beautiful gift for this life, it is ultimately a temporary shadow pointing us toward the eternal relationship we will all share with God in heaven.

Whether you're celebrating years of marriage, navigating a difficult season, or walking through a season of singleness, we hope this message encourages your heart and draws you a little closer to the One who loves you perfectly.

Grab your Bible, settle in, and let's listen together.

Pastor Kent preaches from Matthew 5:21-30, using two Old Testament illustrations to set up the text: Cain's murder of Abel (rooted in jealousy and unchecked anger) and David's adultery with Bathsheba (rooted in an unchecked gaze that spiraled into covetousness, deceit, and murder). Both stories show how sin escalates when left unaddressed at the heart level.

He draws three main points from Jesus's teaching:

1. Anger and lust are matters of the heart, not circumstance. Since everyone carries a sin nature inherited from Adam, the heart is naturally selfish and self-centered. That selfishness is the root from which both anger and lust grow.
2. These sins are a big deal to God, even though our culture (and at times the church) treats them as minor or normal. Jesus raises the bar beyond the letter of the law ("do not commit adultery") to the internal posture of the heart: a lingering, cherished gaze, not a first glance, constitutes adultery in God's eyes. Kent clarifies this isn't about noticing beauty but about the deliberate "second look."
3. Deal with anger and lust aggressively. Jesus's language about plucking out an eye or cutting off a hand is hyperbole meant to jolt us into serious action, not literal self-harm (he references Origen's historical self-mutilation as a cautionary example that missed the point, since the issue is the heart, not the body). Practical steps include cutting out certain media, using accountability software, or stepping back from environments that fuel temptation.

Continuing the Sermon on the Mount series, the speaker teaches from Matthew 5:17-20 that Jesus did not abolish the Law and the Prophets but fulfilled them completely. He explains how Christ fulfills Old Testament prophecy and the moral, civil, and ceremonial laws ultimately through His perfect life and His saving work on the cross. The message calls listeners to trust in Christ’s righteousness rather than self-righteous rule-keeping and to live by the Spirit in grateful obedience.