Redeemer Presbyterian Church

John provides marks of genuine faith that Christians can use to know they have eternal life: (1) love for the brethren, (2) keeping the Lord's commands, (3) personal sanctification, (4) and having the Holy Spirit dwelling within.

The perfection Jesus demands in Matthew 5:48 is not according to our own righteousness, but it's His righteousness which is imputed to believers by faith. This passage challenges us to love our "enemies"—an expanded definition of "neighbor" that includes people who are difficult to love—as a mark of genuine faith.

The "eye for an eye and tooth for a tooth" principle has always been intended for civil judges to administer just, proportionate punishments, not for private individuals to seek personal vengeance. Jesus teaches private individuals to respond to evil and mistreatment with the type of kindness and generosity that heaps coals of fire on the evildoers' heads.

This sermon explores the nature of oaths, particularly in light of Jesus' teachings in Matthew 5 and 23. Jesus exposes the sinful and deceptive oath-making practices of the Pharisees, but He doesn't forbid all oaths. Several examples of mandatory and voluntary oaths are cited from the Old and New Testaments, including God's own oaths, showing that swearing an oath in God's name is morally permissible.

This sermon defines and interacts with four different views of divorce and remarriage: (1) the permanence view, (2) the semi-permanence view, (3) the traditional view, and (4) the liberal view.

This sermon is the first of two parts, laying the groundwork for a biblical understanding of divorce and remarriage.

Jesus teaches that lusting in one's heart violates the spirit of the seventh commandment. He prescribes severe measures for dealing with this stubborn sin

Jesus shows that the moral law of God must be understood both in the "letter" and "spirit" of the commandments. Focusing only on one or the other leads to errors and legalism.

The fifth commandment includes a promise of long life in the land. This isn't just about individual longevity, but societal prosperity rooted in healthy families. Honoring parents, even as adults, reflects our obedience to God and contributes to a stable and prosperous society.

The book of Obadiah contains a surprising communication of hope amidst judgment. Despite Judah's sin and lack of repentance, God promises her restoration based on His sovereign election and mercy. This is not the case with Edom's, however, who receives a declaration of destruction from the Lord. Romans 9:13 helps us understand the mercy God showed to Judah (Jacob) and the severe judgment He showed to Edom (Esau).

Being salt and light is rooted in keeping and teaching God's moral law.

As the "firstfruits," Jesus' glorious bodily resurrection guarantees believers that we will enjoy a glorious bodily resurrection, as well. This knowledge motivates us to persevere in hope through the everyday affairs of our lives.

In cleansing the temple, Jesus is setting true worship apart from hypocritical worship. True worship is conducted in spirit and truth, where God is graciously gathering outcasts from all nations into His house of worship. Hypocritical worship is founded on the lie that a sinner can escape the wages of his sin simply by going through the external motions of worship.

"Persecution" not only includes severe forms, like torture and martyrdom, but also milder forms, like reviling and slander. Genuine Christians will experience persecution because of our commitment to Jesus Christ and righteousness. The temptation is to deny Christ in order to escape persecution. While this is a serious sin, Peter's denial and restoration shows that God's grace abounds even above such sin.

When we distinguish between natural, preternatural, and supernatural, we understand how demons, like Python in Acts 16:16, can manipulate and deceive through diviners and fortunetellers.

Peace-breakers destroy peace. Peace-fakers say, "Peace, peace!" when there is no peace. Peacemakers are active in restoring and maintaining peace, using the law of God to identify sin and call sinners to repentance, and the gospel of grace to attain peace and reconciliation.

The Christian's war against "the world" is against unbiblical ideologies, not people. We dismantle "strongholds," false worldviews, with spiritual weapons. The goal is to capture people's minds for Christ, liberating them from bondage to sinful ideologies by bringing every thought into captivity to the obedience of Christ. We fulfill the Great Commission when we faithfully fight against the right enemy with the right weapons.

Being merciful is more than just words or feelings; it's compassion in action. As the parable of the Good Samaritan demonstrates, mercy is the action of loving one's neighbor. Having a pure heart is a life committed to God, even in our imperfection. It's being focused on God's faithfulness and trusting in His daily mercies.

God calls us to minister to messy people in messy situations. While we may prefer clean and comfortable lives, abundant spiritual harvests come from engaging with the messes of others. Jesus modeled this by entering in our mess to bring salvation. We must embrace the uncomfortable work of serving others, offering grace and love in their challenging situations, for the glory of God and the growth of His kingdom.

The Beatitudes describe the heart of genuine disciples of Jesus Christ.

Amos condemns Israel's aristocracy for hypocritical religiosity and oppressing the poor. He warns them of God's impending wrath, urging repentance before God's patience runs out, but the aristocracy ignored this warning because they were trusting in their political system and material wealth.

God's delegated authority extends only as far as the jurisdictional boundaries associated with the various institutions and offices He created. Man's attempt to exercise authority outside those boundaries is tyrannical. Christians have at least five options for responding to tyranny.

Summary: The Sermon on the Mount demonstrates the authority of Jesus' words and the importance of actively seeking to live according to His teachings. It underscores that true discipleship is evidenced by obedience to Jesus' commands, not just intellectual assent.