Do you know anyone that is satisfied with their own prayer life? I certainly don't. I can also safely say that I have never been content with my own prayer life. All of us long for a life of consistent, vibrant prayer and yet it seems to be so elusive. Jesus talks to us about prayer in the passage this week. Not only does he charge us to nurture a life characterized by prayer, but he also provides insight regarding the root of our prayerlessness and the motivation to spur us to take our petitions to our heavenly Father more often.

This week we're moving into Matthew 7 and Jesus' famous words, "Judge not, that you be not judged." Now Christians have spent more time arguing over what these words don't mean than what they do. They don't mean we're not to discern between good and evil (obviously). The command not to judge does not mean Christians are to adopt the sins of the world in their own lifestyles (just as obviously). The passages listed don't mean that the ministries of rebuking and admonishing are out, and tolerance of all sins is in. But if we only articulate what the passages don't mean, we miss the serious divine warning.

This week we're back in Matthew 6 and will be finishing up the chapter. This passage is all about anxiety and worry and what does it mean to have faith in those moments when your palms are sweating and your lips are quivering and it's hard just to stand up. We all face it and, perhaps because it's so common, Jesus has something to say about it. But it may not be what you think. Plus, I have a funny story to start with, and you can't miss that! So I'll see you Sunday! Dr. Dave

This week we'll be taking a quick break from the Sermon on the Mount, but we're not leaving Matthew (I'm sure he feels relieved!). Since it will be Easter Sunday, we're going to jump to Matthew 28 and look at the resurrection and ask the questions, "What does it mean?" And "What difference does it make?" Clearly it's important, but I fear many Christians today simply take it for granted. Sure, the resurrection was foundational for Christianity, but how does it affect my life today? So we're going to look at how best to answer that question.

So what do these three things (The Triumphal Entry, Treasures in Heaven, and March Madness) have in common? I'm not really sure, but I'm working on it. However, I do know that one of the most repeated sayings during March Madness is "Win or Go Home." It refers to the reality that this is a single elimination tournament. When a team loses, they're eliminated from the tournament and their season is over. For most of the seniors on the team, it will be the end of their basketball careers. I wonder if Jesus was thinking "Win or Go Home" when He entered Jerusalem on the first day of the last week of His earthly life? I wonder if His version of "Win" had more to do with serving God than scoring points?

We tend to be far more interested in appearing righteous, than in actually being righteous -- and Jesus nails that kind of attitude.

This past week we looked at another hard passage in the Gospel of Matthew where Jesus tells us not to retaliate when wronged or taken advantage of; nor to hate those people who deserve to be hated. A tall order for us!

In Matthew 5:21-37, Jesus describes some ethics or standards of His Kingdom. In this sermon we explored the spirit of the law regarding anger, lust, divorce, and oaths. As Christians we are called to live beyond the letter of the law, obeying the spirit of the law as well.

Last week we looked at one of the hardest passages in the Gospel of Matthew -- Matthew 5:17-20 -- where Jesus tells us we have to be more righteous than the most righteous people we know.