One of the great temptations of all human beings is to look good in front of other people. God doesn’t want us to live our lives for the applause of others; He wants us to live our lives for His glory. Using examples of giving and prayer, Jesus showed His followers the folly of external acts of worship that are done to impress others rather than for God’s glory. (Matthew 6:1-8)

True children of God love their enemies and are

perfect as their Heavenly Father is perfect. No one

can live up to these types of demands unless the

power of Christ is at work within them and the

righteousness of Christ is placed upon them. (Matthew 5:43-48)

From the time of Moses the Jewish people had

followed a law that said, "an eye for an eye a tooth

for a tooth." Jesus showed His followers that is fine

in a court setting but not in our relationship with

others. Followers of Jesus repay evil with good. (Matthew 5:38-42)

For the fourth time in His Sermon on the Mount, Jesus begins a section of teaching with the words, “You have heard that it was said.” In this case, the teaching had to do with telling the truth. God’s chosen people, the Children of Israel, had become known as liars because of the way that they interpreted Old Testament law concerning using oaths. There is no place for falsehood in the lives of followers of Jesus Christ. It is just as easy to slip into falsehood today as it was back then. We need to be people who let our “yes” be “yes” and our “no” be “no.” (Matthew 5:33-37)

There was a great controversy regarding divorce and remarriage in the days of Jesus. It centered on the interpretation of a phrase in Deuteronomy 24:1, which stated the ground for divorce, “If a man marries a woman who becomes displeasing to him because he finds something indecent about here, and he writes her a certificate of divorce . . .” By Jesus’ day, the Pharisees (Israel’s religious leaders) allowed for divorce for almost any reason at all, based upon their interpretation of the meaning of decent in Deuteronomy 24:1. Jesus set the record straight by not only pointing out the prevailing misinterpretation of Moses’ law, but by setting a standard that allowed for divorce and remarriage for only three reasons; sexual immorality by one’s spouse who is unwilling to repent and live faithfully in the marriage relationship, a believer who is deserted by an unbelieving spouse and third when someone has been married and divorced before coming to Christ. (Matthew 5:31-42; Matthew 19:4-12)

Moms and Dads have so many responsibilities that are unique to being a parent. Perhaps the greatest task of any Christian parent is teaching our children the truth about God. How can parents make discipleship of children a priority in today’s hectic world? This sermon will give many practical ideas on how to help children cultivate a deep (Psalm 78:1-8)

Jesus is willing to heal your physical and emotional pain because he is compassionate—he cares about you and he loves you. Give God the parts of yourselves that are untouchable, unreachable, ugly or shameful. (Mark 1:40-45)

He may have initially doubted the resurrection of

Jesus, but when presented with evidence,

Thomas believed. Doubt is a common experience

among those with faith. Thomas teaches us how

to move past doubt into faith. When he made his

decision he was all in! (John 20:24-29)

John stayed close to Jesus during Holy Week. The

beloved disciple was there during the celebration of

Palm Sunday, there at the cross, and was one of the

first to believe in the resurrection. John teaches us

to view Easter through eyes of faith. (John 12:12-19; John 20:25-27)

Peter was the Rocky of Jesus' disciples. The man was never one to show fear -- until it mattered most. What turned Jesus' most ardent follower into one who denied he even knew Jesus? It was fear. This same fear has the capacity to cripple any disciple. (Matthew 26:57-58, 69-75)