Heaven's Life Now, part 13: Unseen (Matt. 6:2-6, 16-18)

"And without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him.” (Hebrews 11:6)

Faith is grown by meeting our unseen Father in secret ways for the reward only He can give.

Download this episode (right click and save)

Heaven's Life Now, pt. 12: Purity of Purpose (Matt. 6:1, 5:8)

After calling us to a greater righteousness--heart righteousness that is a gift of God--Jesus warns us at as Matthew 6 begins not to "work our righteousness" for the eyes of people. Those things that form righteousness in us, spiritual disciplines like prayer, fasting, and giving, must be directed to God in order for them to be profitable. So Jesus tells us to "take care" (be careful!) so that we're not doing these things for ourselves or others rather than for God. This week we asked three very important questions we all should ask with regard to how we work out our faith...

Download this episode (right click and save)

Heaven's Life Now, part 11: The Tough Road to Completion (Matt. 5:38-48)

The Christian life can be simple. We often say we believe in Jesus, but do we really believe Jesus? Are we willing to change our minds as a result of what he teaches? Today, we look at three of his most difficult commands: "Do not resist an evildoer," "Love your enemies," and "Be perfect." We will try to understand these teachings, choose to believe, and look at what we need to change in order to obey.

Download this episode (right click and save)

Heaven's Life Now, Part 10: Weighty Words (Matt. 5:33-37)

When Jesus taught his disciples not to swear, he wasn't talking about cussing. It was about the words we use to emphasis that this time, you can really trust what we say. When we use oaths, we are saying that when we don't, there's a chance we're lying. Why not simply tell the truth? Why drag God's name and other things we can't control into our promises?

Download this episode (right click and save)

Heaven's Life Now, part 9: True Faithfulness in Marriage

What do you do when you are dissatisfied in marriage? Jesus warns us that two common "escapes" are sinful and destructive...

Download this episode (right click and save)

Heaven's Life Now, part 8: The Priority of Peace (Matthew 5:23-26)

Heaven is a place where all things will be perfectly reconciled to God and one another. If we want to taste heaven's life now, we must make peacemaking a priority. It is a priority to God.

Download this episode (right click and save)

Heaven's Life Now, part 7: A Warning About Anger (Matthew 5:21-22)

We all deal with anger to some degree. It's so common that we often think it's harmless or even a sign of our righteousness. But Jesus gives a strong warning against anger in the Sermon on the Mount. Are we going to heed this warning? Are you willing to change your thinking about anger? Are you willing to banish anger from your life?

Download this episode (right click and save)

Heaven's Life Now, part 6: A Greater Righteousness (Matthew 5:17-20)

Everything Jesus taught in the Sermon on the Mount led to this little passage of Scripture that is one of the most misunderstood and misquoted in the Bible. It's also the basis for the rest of the Sermon. What do we need to know in order to understand this central teaching about Jesus' relationship with the Old Testament?

Download this episode (right click and save)

Heaven's Life Now, part 5: Salt and Light

This week, we recognized our graduating seniors, and we spoke about a question that all of us face: what is my life going to be about? Jesus was speaking to that question as he moved from the Beatitudes into the next part of the Sermon on the Mount. "You are the salt of the earth," he said. "You are the light of the world." What does it mean for us to be salt? What does it mean to be light? What is our job as salt and light?

Download this episode (right click and save)



Also, our Mothers Day sermon had some technical difficulties, but is available to listen to here. We finished up the Beatitudes with "Heaven's Life Now, part 4: For the Ones in the Middle":

Download this episode (right click and save)

Heaven's Life Now, part 3: For the Frustrated and the Forgotten

All of us have had someone in authority over us who scarred us in some way: a distant parent, an unreasonable boss, a bullying commanding officer, a brutal coach. These people often get into our heads and change the way we see ourselves, evaluate ourselves, and live our life. Often we project these attributes onto our understanding of God, whether we realize it or not.

Jesus was dealing with that same problem when he spoke to the crowds. The religious leaders put a heavy burden on the people, but did not help them to carry it. Jesus told them that God was not like the priests, scribes, and Pharisees. He's not like your distant or perfectionist parent, either, or your unreasonable boss. God is not One who points down at all; He is a God who lifts us up.

Today, we look at the picture Jesus gave of God described in these three Beatitudes:

"Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth.

Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be filled.

Blessed are the merciful, for they will be shown mercy."

Download this episode (right click and save)

Heaven's Life Now, part 2: Good News for the Needy

The person who seems to offer nothing to God can still inherit everything.

This week, we looked into the first two Beatitudes...

Download this episode (right click and save)

Heaven's Life Now, part 1: The Gospel Jesus Preached

Are you missing the gospel that Jesus preached?

Download this episode (right click and save)