Mary gives us the example par excellence of humble, biblical and authentic worship. She has intimate knowledge of God's character as told through the arch of the Old Testament redemptive narrative and this is the fertile soil out of which her praise grows.

Our God has proven time and time again that He doesn't look for the strongest, the most charismatic, or the most impressive to accomplish His will. This week we will look at Gabriel's announcement to Mary and her response.

Luke wrote this Gospel so that we would have certainty concerning the things we have been taught. He compiled written and verbal accounts of the life, death and resurrection of Jesus and then – under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit – he recorded what we have before us. Luke was a thorough, thoughtful, meticulous historian. He wrote this Gospel that you may know the history of your faith.

In this section of the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus is warning us not to trade treasure in heaven for a pat on the back in the foyer. Don't trade eternal glory for a temporary boost to your pride.

In this section of the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus is focusing on how we can live righteously without succumbing to pride and hypocrisy. Today, we are going to zoom in on the first lesson which focuses on our giving.

Biblical giving is about our vision of and response to who God really is! IT IS ABOUT WORSHIP!

This is that last of the "You have heard that it was said, but I say to you" sayings in the Sermon on the Mount. Jesus has been correcting the misinterpretation and misapplication of the law that was being taught by the scribes and pharisees.

Over the last few weeks, Jesus has been correcting the scribes' and the pharisees' misunderstanding and misapplication of the law. In some cases, they were leading people to do the EXACT OPPOSITE of what the law required! To understand this correction, then we first need to understand the original law and the ways that the scribes and the pharisees distorted it.

The religion of the pharisees was DEAD. It was fuelled by PRIDE and empowered by LAW – but THAT ROAD LEADS TO RUIN! The obedience God requires is to be fuelled by LOVE and empowered by the SPIRIT.

The Apostle Paul calls us to look beyond our ever-changing circumstances and to REJOICE in the unchanging hope of glory that is ours in Christ.