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Welcome back to Jesus’ Sermon On the Mount He begins with the Beatitudes – not to be confused with "benedictions" - they are more like a series of riddles • he describes conditions in which people are already blessed ◦ already acceptable to God and discovering the abundant life ◦ but what he says sounds like the opposite of abundant life • we would never tell a friend who is grieving, “You’re so blessed” ◦ and even in Jesus’ time and culture meekness was a deficit - for this reason, we must pat attention to both lines of each Beatitude • the first line is an incomplete picture ◦ something else ..read more

Recently, I came across an interesting ad: The caption said, “Free AI Sermon Generator” “Free AI sermon outlines help you preach a confident, creative message. AI sermon starter ideas make your sermon fresh and relevant.” - I realized, from now on my life could be easy; for example, • last week I mentioned my frustration with “kingdom” (bringing to mind the idea of a nation with borders ..read more

Last week I gave my introduction to the Sermon On the Mount This week we’re going to look at Matthew’s introduction - but first, I have a question – and it’s for me as much as anyone: Are we ready for this? - the Lord has made many changes in our exterior lives, • but the big challenge of the Sermon is what it does on the interior ◦ we’ve cleaned up our speech; what about our thoughts? ◦ we've given up bad habits; what about desires and resentments? • I rationalize my inner life: “My thoughts don't hurt anyone” and “I’ve a right to my private thoughts” ◦ the Sermon tells me, “Not any more ..read more

A couple weeks ago someone told me, “Your next series of talks should be about The Sermon On the Mount” - that title has a pleasant ring to it, doesn’t it? • isn’t that where Jesus talks about birds and lilies? Love your enemies? Do not judge? • it’s like a friend has invited us on an outing: “Hey, go with us to the park for a picnic. We’re going to sing our favorite worship choruses, then share our favorite Bible verses.” - but the reality is, the Sermon isn’t butterflies and rainbows • it doesn’t read like a collection of Hallmark greeting cards • it contains the most intense demands in all ..read more

The prophetic ministry of Elijah provides one of the most entertaining stories in all the Bible. When it comes to phenomenal miracles, Elijah’s only rival would be Moses. His spiritual stature as a man of God is equal to the greatest heroes in scripture, and yet St. James wrote, “Elijah was a man with a nature like ours” (Jas. 5:17). Like us, Elijah could be frightened, discouraged, and ready to give up. Elijah would have been a fun person to know– if you like surprises. For instance, this final episode begins with a surprise. It seems we were supposed to already know he was going to be swept ..read more

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Psalm 3 is the most loved, most quoted, and best known of all Psalms There are lots of reasons for this. It’s short – just six verses. But though it’s so short it’s incredibly deep. It’s simple – easy to understand.  The Lord, the shepherd is God.  I am the sheep. I get it! And there is something uniquely encouraging, comforting, and empowering about this Psalm. So, this morning, I’d like to give you Psalm 23 as a “fixed focal point” for your faith – through all the different seasons and experiences of your life ..read more

 This first sentence of 2 Kings is an odd way to begin a new chapter. The transition from the previous book to this one could have been much smoother. For instance, the last lines of 1 Kings provide all the explanation we need for this new episode: Ahaziah the son of Ahab began to reign over Israel in Samaria . . . and he reigned for two years. He did what was evil in the sight of the LORD and walked in the way of his father and in the way of his mother . . . . He served Baal and worshiped him and provoked Yehovah, the God of Israel, to anger in every way that his father had done (1 Ki. 2 ..read more

 King Ahab left the battlefield, victorious over the Syrians, but he arrived home moody and sullen. In theory, there’s no reason for kings to be “moody and sullen.” If they are troubled, they have counselors. If they feel sad, they have jesters. If they need comfort, the priest is always on call. Having the luxuries afforded them by wealth and power, one imagines they could avoid ever being moody and sullen. Ahab may have assumed he did a good thing, releasing the enemy king who had attacked Israel, and sending him back to Syria with a slap on the wrist. But as he was riding through his t ..read more