Jesus concludes the Sermon on the Mount by challenging what we build our lives upon and he tells us that if we are wise, we'll build our lives upon "the rock" instead of the sand. What's the rock he's talking about?
When it comes to our spirituality do we seem to expect it to be easy? In this passage Jesus tells us that the way that leads to life is hard. Which way are you on? The hard way that leads to life? Or the easy way that leads to destruction?
We all love these words of Jesus, "do not judge, lest you be judged." But we rarely examine what Jesus says next - that there are some people we actually ought to judge. Jesus himself judged people. So how do we know who we ought to judge?
Anxiety is a crippling problem for millions of people. But Jesus seems to indicate that this has always been the case. Does your spirituality make a difference in your anxiety? Jesus says that if it is real, it should.
Appearances can be deceiving. Someone can have all the appearances of godliness, but have nothing real going on inside. Jesus undresses the audience we perform our righteousness for.
One of Jesus' hardest sayings is "turn the other cheek." Is Jesus just advocating that his followers become a punching bag to would-be assailants? Or does he mean something more by it? How does Jesus want his followers to act towards enemies?
One of the hardest things for us today is what Jesus tells us about divorce...
Jesus takes a pretty hard stance when it comes to our sexuality. He says it’s not just about what you do with your body, but about what you think about when you look at someone else’s body. His solution? Gouge out your eye and throw it away. Cut off your hand and throw it away. Is Jesus being literal? How are we to respond to such a violent teaching that would essentially leave pretty much all of us maimed and blind? And how does our sexuality connect to our spirituality?
How do you define anger? And how do you deal with it? Is your temper explosive? Or are you a "silent assassin"? Jesus challenges us this morning by calling our anger murder. In this sermon, Ryan, discusses how our anger and spirituality are connected.
One of Jesus' most famous statements is "blessed are the peacemakers." What exactly does he mean by it and how do we live up to it?
This week we continue Jesus’ famous Sermon on the Mount with the section popularly known as the Beatitudes. What does Jesus mean when he says that those who live out these statements will be blessed? But, can anyone really live this out? And what do the Beatitudes have to do with Christian Spirituality?
This fall we’re wrestling with how we draw near to God and what better way to do that than to look at Jesus’ most famous sermon on what it means to be a disciple. This is the introduction to the Sermon on the Mount series that Ryan will be preaching on over the next several months.
