The Porch (Video)

As we start our new series, Save the Date, we have to admit we might not be so good at dating. We might think we're going in the direction of marriage in a relationship, but then we make bad decisions that take us on detours. We see in Judges 14-16 through the story of Samson how pursuing the wrong people, giving into lust, and playing games only hurts us. Love is meant to be sincere. When we are fully surrendered to God, love can be a beautiful thing. Are you on the right path or have you taken detours?

Guest speaker, Tommy Nelson, walks us through the story of Jacob. Through Jacob's life, we see him constantly turning to himself to fix his problems when God had promised him a blessing. Jacob wasn't following God, he was seeking his own flesh. Just like Jacob, we try to take the reins and work around God's plan, and it doesn't go the way we want it too. If we trust in God, He will take care of us. When we ask Him for help, He's there. He is faithful to fulfill His promises and leads us in the right direction.

Guest speaker, Tommy Nelson, walks us through the story of Jacob. Through Jacob's life, we see him constantly turning to himself to fix his problems when God had promised him a blessing. Jacob wasn't following God, he was seeking his own flesh. Just like Jacob, we try to take the reins and work around God's plan, and it doesn't go the way we want it too. If we trust in God, He will take care of us. When we ask Him for help, He's there. He is faithful to fulfill His promises and leads us in the right direction.

In Matthew 7:24-29, we take a look at what God says about having a solid foundation. The only way to have one is to follow and live out His instructions in the Bible. If you follow Jesus' instructions, you are promised that your foundation will stand. If not, you are promised your foundation will crumble and fall. You are becoming someone, so you must choose today what to build your foundation on and how to keep it firm when the promised storms come. Will you choose to trust Jesus and see how He is faithful in His strength and provision?

Jesus tells us at the end of the Sermon on the Mount that the gate to eternal life is narrow and the majority won't enter. God is begging us to take the narrow path; Christ wants to set us free. There's only one way to eternal life and that's actively believing that Jesus died for our sins and rose again. Although the things of this world may be enticing, God wants to give us His best — himself. God calls us stop thinking about ourselves, love others and live for Him. Will you take the narrow path?

Sometimes we turn away from God because we question His goodness. But God is a good Father and desires to give us good things. Jesus teaches us in the Sermon on the Mount to pray with persistence. When we pray to our perfect Father, He answers our prayers. His answer might be a yes, no, or not now; but it is always good, even if it isn't always what we want. Because God desires an authentic relationship with us, we have the freedom to honestly pray about what we want, seeking to understand if that’s what God wants too. And if it's not, He has something better planned.

God will bring you, body and soul, through life and death into full and everlasting pleasure if God is your safest refuge, sovereign Lord, your supreme treasure, and your trusted counselor.

The Bible, when taken out of context, leads us to a path of destruction. One of the verses taken out of context the most is from Jesus' Sermon on the Mount in Matthew 7 when He says, "judge not, lest you be judged." But in the context of the passage, that does not mean we should sit silent when we see something that is wrong. We do, however, have to take a look at ourselves, know our struggles, let others know us, let them love us, and love others too. No one is any more righteous than the other; the only righteous thing about us is Christ in us.

In this world that we live in, it's a culture of more, more, more. We want the newest tech gadget, best car, biggest house, but money only creates an illusion of control. In the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus shows us that we have to see money with an eternal perspective and a satisfied heart. Instead of wasting our lives being owners and letting money be our master, we can be stewards of our money serving God and building up eternal treasures to further His kingdom. Who will you serve?

Fake it until you make it, right? Not according to Jesus. He calls us not

to practice our righteousness in front of others in Matthew 6:1-18. He

tells us we shouldn't give, pray, or fast if we are just doing it impress

people. That's fake faith. Fake faith gives to get noticed, performs

prayers for people, and sacrifices to appear spiritual. In the end, fake

faith doesn't hold up. Jesus didn't die on the cross to impress people;

He died on the cross to reconcile us to God. Practice real faith by doing

everything for God, focusing solely on Him.