Sermons | Local Church in Wabash, Indiana | Bachelor Creek

Life is a journey of decisions, and often difficult ones at that. However, in Matthew 6:19-24 Jesus simplifies things as He lays out three sets of alternatives that point towards the answer to one crucial question: Where will I place my heart? As we navigate through the choices laid out in this text, we see that Jesus requires nothing short of our undivided allegiance.

One of the greatest temptations we face is doing the right things for the wrong reasons. In Matthew 6:1-8, 16-18, Jesus highlights the danger of doing acts of righteousness to get praise from people. Jesus challenges us to examine ourselves and check our motives. Why do you do what you do? A life transformed in the hidden, secret place helps us live for an audience of One.

Jesus’ call to not resist an evil person and to love your neighbor are two of the most challenging things to hear today. In a world based on justice and retaliation, Jesus calls us to lay aside our own personal wants and desires. We so often are told to 'stand up for yourselves', to 'live the life you want', and to 'take matters into our own hands', but is that really how Jesus envisions Christ followers to live? If we want to truly want to live out these words from Jesus it will take one thing: Radical Selflessness.

We’re always looking for loopholes, ways to get around what’s required while still fulfilling our obligations. We do it in life, we do it in relationships, and we do it with God. In Matthew 5:27-37, Jesus takes us beyond the letter of the law to the heart. And we find that under it all is a radical call to faithfulness. Faithfulness is the foundation for following God’s will. Jesus calls us to be faithful in our desires, our marriages, and our words.

Beginning in Matthew 5:21, Jesus shares six common interpretations of the law, followed by the true meaning of the law. He starts with murder. What we discover is that Jesus looks beyond the physical act and gets to the heart of the matter. Behind evil actions lie angry hearts. By inspecting our intentions and rushing to reconcile fractured relationships we can ensure that our hearts are pure and live out God’s will.

Let’s be real. Some of the commands we read in the Old Testament seem outdated and no longer applicable for Christians today. We say things like, “We have the New Testament, so we don’t need the Old Testament anymore.” In Matthew 5:17-20, Jesus shares how He views the Old Testament and how we should relate to it today. And what we discover is that we should embrace the Old Testament as a vital foundation for our faith, understanding that Jesus fulfills its message, transforms its demands, and empowers us to live out its timeless principles.

In Matthew 5:13-16, Jesus uses two metaphors, salt and light to describe the responsibilities of Christians. Jesus calls us to preserve godly values, enhance the world around us, and illuminate the darkness. When we fail in this responsibility, like unsalty salt and hidden light, we’re good for nothing. But when we live out our calling, a salty church shining bright changes the world.

What if life in the kingdom of God is radically different from what people would expect? Jesus begins his Sermon on the Mount with the Beatitudes, a series of eight blessings with correlated promises for those who live according to the values of the kingdom. It’s a way of live that flips our cultural expectations upside down, but as believers who belong to a different kingdom, it’s not just a better way, it’s the only way to truly live.

It’s considered the greatest sermon ever preached. Christians and non-Christians alike have long admired Jesus’s teaching in the Sermon on the Mount. The problem is there’s disagreement on what this transformational sermon really means. As we kick off our “Summer on the Mount” series, we look at how this sermon has been misunderstood followed by the right way to read it. The Sermon on the Mount details the kingdom way of life followers of Jesus are invited to live here and now.

If you get your friends right, the right friends will help set you up for success in every area of life. Proverbs offers a wealth of advice on cultivating great friendships. It's important to assess the kind of friend you are and the types of friends you have. Remember, you are influenced by your five closest friends, so aim to surround yourself with positive influences.