Sermons from November 2017
No Longer An Echo
Matt 5:38-42 How do we respond when people wrong us? Do we respond in kind? Do we give blow for blow? Are we simply echoes, returning hurt for hurt? This week we come to the fifth fulfiller, and Jesus teaches us that surpassing righteousness happens by overcoming evil with good. In doing so, we model what Jesus himself did in his passion. This is a seemingly impossible saying, but nothing is impossible when the Spirit of the Living God is involved.
Make Your Yes, Yes or No, No
Matt 5:33-37 This week, in the 4th “fulfiller”, Jesus takes on speech. At first it seems a bit anticlimactic. But aren’t right-relationships built upon and sustained by words? It turns out that authentic relationships only happen when we say what we mean and mean what we say. This integrity of speech is what causes our righteousness to surpass that of the religious authorities. Come Sunday to discuss how to make your yes, yes or your no, no.
A Guide to Prayer
Eph 3:14-21 How does Paul pray for the church at Ephesus and what can we learn from his prayer? This Sunday David Misson (youth pastor at Peninsula Bible Church Willow Glen) will preach from Ephesians 3:14-21 on finding fullness from God through prayer.
The Protector of Marriage
Matt 5:31-32 This week’s text is a natural follow-on from our study last week as Jesus will once again show that he is the protector of marriage. Divorce painfully breaks relationships and in order to surpass the righteousness of the religious authorities, we need to beware of a hardening heart and learn how to love sacrificially. It’s a love that models Jesus’ love for us when he went to the cross for us. It’s another tough word from Jesus, but remember, he says it because he loves us.