Podcasts about Sermon on the Mount

We live in a world filled with caution signs. It can be all too easy to brush them off and assume everything will be fine. In Matthew 6:1–8, Pastor Derek Napoleon explores spiritual warning signs posted by Jesus in the Sermon on the Mount. Together, we'll unpack why ignoring them carries profound consequences for both daily life and eternity. At the core of this teaching, Jesus challenges the hidden motives of the human heart. He cautions against the subtle trap of performing faith, public generosity, or impressive prayers that aim to earn attention and applause from others. By exposing the emptiness of religious showmanship, He invites everyone into a far richer reality: a life marked by quiet generosity and authentic, heartfelt prayer. True righteousness is never about putting on a show for a crowd, but about living sincerely before a loving Father who sees every secret act and promises a lasting reward. Pastor Derek encourages us to step away from the noise to establish a daily "Secret Hideaway." This is both a physical space to unplug and an inner posture of abiding with God everywhere. Discover how guarding the heart against pride opens the door to genuine peace, deeper fellowship, and the joy of living for an audience of One.

What happens after you hear the Word? In Matthew 7, Jesus closes the Sermon on the Mount with four urgent comparisons: two gates, two trees, two responses to God's will, and two foundations. Each one asks the same question: now that you have heard the truth, what will you do with it?  Pastor Jeremy Johnson challenges us to move beyond simply admiring Jesus and give him final authority over every part of life. The narrow gate is not about earning salvation. It is an invitation to surrender the pride, bitterness, control, compromise, and self rule that cannot follow us into the life God has prepared. The altar is calling. Will you let it alter you? Subscribe to Fearless LA and share this message with someone who needs it. Scripture: Matthew 7:13 to 29

In a world marked by division, pressure, and constant noise, how can Christian leaders lead differently? In this episode, I'm joined by teaching pastor and author Tammy Melchien to discuss her book Choosing the Opposite and the powerful lessons found in Jesus' Sermon on the Mount. Together, we explore what it means to lead with humility, live for God's approval rather than people's praise, and embrace the radically different way of Jesus. In This Episode We discuss: • how the challenges of recent years led Tammy back to the Sermon on the Mount • why Jesus' teachings are just as relevant today as they were 2,000 years ago • why leadership is relational, not positional • the beauty and strength of collaborative leadership • what it means to live for an "audience of One" • how seeking people's approval creates emotional exhaustion • the connection between leadership, identity, and burnout • why healthy leaders create margin and trust God with their calling • how the Sermon on the Mount offers practical wisdom for modern leadership A Key Leadership Truth: The greatest reward in leadership isn't the approval of people, it's hearing "Well done" from the Father.   About Tammy Melchien Tammy Melchien is a teaching pastor and writer committed to helping people take next steps with Jesus. With more than 30 years of ministry experience, she currently leads the teaching team at Community Christian Church, a multi-site church in the Chicago area. She holds an M.A. from Lincoln Christian Seminary and is passionate about helping people rediscover the way of Jesus through Scripture. Her first book, Choosing the Opposite, released in 2025. Connect with Tammy

It's almost become a gag line; it expresses the attitude of an employee who just wants to meet the bare minimums of their job. You ask them a question, ask them to do some small task; kind of shrugs his shoulders, puts his hands in the air and says, "Not my job!" Well, that can be a lazy response or maybe a wise one in some cases. For example, if you ask me to repair your car, I probably should say, "It's not my job." Or if you ask the local mechanic to take care of your toothache, it would be good if he said, "It's not my job." Or if you ask your dentist to program your computer, it would probably be good for him to say, "It's not my job." See, you really shouldn't be working out of what really isn't your job and you don't know how to do it anyway. I'm Ron Hutchcraft and I want to have A Word With You today about "Trying to Do God's Job." Our word for today from the Word of God is Psalm 84:11, "For the Lord God is a sun and a shield. The Lord bestows favor and honor. No good thing does He withhold from them whose walk is blameless." Wow, that's a great promise, isn't it? No good thing... Any good thing; anything that's really good for you, He will never withhold if your walk is blameless. And, of course, He's the one who defines what's good for us, because He knows best. What's interesting about this verse is that it tells you three responsibilities that are not your job. "It's not my job!" Number one it's not your job to provide. It says here, "The Lord bestows favor." God gives you what you need. Jesus told us in the Sermon on the Mount, "Don't go chasing after food and clothing like the rest of the world does, because your Father knows what you have need of. You seek the kingdom of God and all the things will be taken care of." You lose a lot of peace worrying about where the dollars are going to come from, the transportation, the resources. Three times in that passage Jesus told us, "Don't worry! Don't worry!" They're going to come from your Jehovah Jireh - the Lord who provides. He will take care of it. Although He expects us to work, ultimately the provision of your needs is not your job, but your God. Secondly, protecting is not your job. It says, "The Lord is your shield." We waste a lot of effort defending our position, trying to look good, answering criticism from people, trying to protect our spot, fearing injury, fearing disappointment. What are you doing to just try to protect yourself? The Lord is your shield. It's not your job. Then it's also not your job to promote. It says, "The Lord gives honor to people." Quit trying to get the spotlight for yourself; God exalts people. What are you doing trying to promote yourself? So, what is your job? Well, it says, "He does this for those whose walk is blameless." Your job is your walk. You're supposed to concentrate on cleaning up your walk with God, getting rid of those traits that displease Him and that bring criticism from others. Your job is to focus on spending time with your Lord - treating people as your Lord does, eliminating those stubborn sins that you tolerate rather than eliminate. God's job is to provide your needs, to protect you from hurt, and to promote you to positions that He chooses. I wonder, have you been trying to do one of His jobs? Why don't you concentrate on your own? Concentrate on the purity of your walk, and God will keep His promise, "No good thing will He withhold from those whose walk is blameless."

In today's episode of The Whole Counsel, Dr. John Snyder is once again joined by Louis Sacran, an experienced pastor and counselor. In session three of Biblical Help for Life's Problems, Louis addresses our ideas about God's faithfulness. God's faithfulness is not the same as God fulfilling all our preferences for life. Louis takes us to various passages to clarify what it means for God to be faithful and shows that he is indeed trustworthy. Louis also addresses the choices we face in pressing circumstances. What is beyond our control? What is our ultimate desire? What dangers and deceptions can we avoid? We pray you will be helped by Louis's wise counsel as we have been.   SHOW NOTES

In this message, Pastor Kenneth explores Jesus' teaching on prayer from the Sermon on the Mount in Matthew 7. Learn how Jesus invites us to ask, seek, and knock with relentless persistence, and how He hears our cries and desires to walk with us through every storm, even when His answer differs from what we expect.

Jesus ends the Sermon on the Mount with a familiar picture: two men building two houses. One builds on rock. The other builds on sand. When the storms come, only one house remains standing. The difference isn't the weather. Both houses face the storm. The difference is the foundation. That picture from Matthew 7 offers a helpful way to think about our financial lives. Job losses, medical expenses, market declines, and unexpected bills eventually test every household. The question is whether our financial lives are built on something strong enough to withstand them. John Cortines, a Family Office Advisor with Blue Trust and co-author of God and Money and True Riches, offers a helpful framework: Think of your financial life as a house. Christ is the foundation. Gratitude, contentment, trust, and love form the walls. Our identity as stewards serves as the roof. And wise financial practices furnish the rooms. The Foundation: Christ, Not Money Every house begins with a foundation, and the Christian financial life begins with Christ. Jesus taught that we cannot serve both God and money. So before we ask how much to save, spend, invest, or give, we have to settle a more fundamental question: What—or whom—are we trusting? 1 Timothy 6 warns against placing our hope in wealth. Money is useful, but it was never designed to carry the weight of our security or identity. Instead, biblical stewardship begins by recognizing that everything ultimately belongs to God. Haggai 2:8 reminds us that the silver and gold are His. What we possess has been entrusted to us temporarily. That changes the way we approach money. Rather than asking, “What do I want to do with my money?” a steward begins asking, “What is the next faithful decision with what God has entrusted to me?” Money moves from being our master to becoming a tool we manage for God's purposes. The First Wall: Gratitude Once the foundation is in place, the first wall is gratitude. Gratitude protects us from one of wealth's most subtle dangers: pride.  Pride says, I earned this. I deserve this. Look at what I've accomplished. Gratitude answers, God provided this. Deuteronomy 8:18 warns God's people not to forget that He is the One who gives them the ability to produce wealth. Our abilities, opportunities, relationships, education, health, and circumstances are all gifts we did not create for ourselves. That doesn't diminish the value of hard work. It simply puts our work in its proper place. A grateful steward can work diligently without believing everything depends on personal achievement. Gratitude opens our hands because it reminds us that every good thing ultimately comes from God. The Second Wall: Contentment The second wall is contentment, which guards us from coveting and comparison. Our culture constantly invites us to look sideways. Someone always seems to have a nicer home, a newer vehicle, a larger portfolio, or a more comfortable lifestyle. The result can be a restless appetite for more. But biblical contentment allows us to experience peace in seasons of abundance and in seasons when resources are limited. In Philippians 4:12-13, Paul explains that he learned the secret of being content whether he had plenty or was in need. His famous statement, “I can do all things through him who strengthens me,” comes in the context of learning contentment through Christ. Contentment does not mean we stop planning, working, or pursuing worthwhile goals. It means our peace is no longer waiting on the next financial milestone. We don't have to keep telling ourselves, I'll finally be satisfied when I get there or when I have that. In Christ, we can receive today's provision with gratitude while faithfully preparing for tomorrow. The Third Wall: Trust The third wall is trust. Financial anxiety often grows from the assumption that our future rests entirely on us. Am I saving enough? What if something happens? Will there be enough for retirement? What if the economy changes? Wise stewardship certainly includes preparation. But preparation can quietly turn into self-reliance if we begin believing our savings account is ultimately responsible for keeping us safe. In Luke 12, Jesus reminds His followers that the Father knows what they need. That frees us to seek His Kingdom first rather than allowing fear about tomorrow to dominate today. Our deepest security goes even further. For the Christian, our ultimate hope is not that we will avoid every financial problem. Our hope is in Christ, His victory over death, and the eternal future He has secured for His people. That perspective doesn't eliminate wise financial planning. It puts planning in its proper place. We prepare faithfully while trusting God completely. The Fourth Wall: Love The fourth wall may be the one we least often associate with money: love. It is easy for financial planning to become entirely inward-facing. We think about our budget, our goals, our retirement, and our future without considering how God may want to use what He has entrusted to us for the good of others. But Christian stewardship is shaped by Christ's love. 2 Corinthians 8 and 9 point us to Jesus, who gave Himself generously for us. Our generosity toward others becomes a response to the generosity we have first received from Him. As we grow spiritually, we begin asking not merely, How much can I keep? but, How can what God has entrusted to me become an expression of love? That may mean financial generosity, hospitality, using our abilities to serve someone, supporting the local church, or simply noticing a need we might otherwise have ignored. Money becomes one more way to love God and love our neighbor. The Roof: Your Identity as a Steward Resting on those four walls is the roof: our financial identity. There are two unhealthy extremes. The first is ownership: It's mine. I earned it. I'll do whatever I want with it. The second is helplessness: Nothing I do matters. I'll never get ahead. Life just happens to me. Stewardship offers another way. A steward says, “Everything belongs to God, and I am responsible for faithfully managing what He has entrusted to me.” That perspective brings both responsibility and freedom. We take our decisions seriously because stewardship matters. But we also recognize that we are not the ultimate owners or providers. God is. Our task is faithfulness. Furnishing the House With Wise Financial Practices Only after the foundation, walls, and roof are secure do we begin furnishing the house. These furnishings represent the everyday financial habits Scripture commends: working diligently, spending purposefully, handling debt carefully, saving steadily for future needs, investing patiently and wisely, practicing generosity, and showing hospitality. These practical decisions matter. But they work best when they flow from the right heart. Otherwise, we can follow every financial rule and still be driven by pride, comparison, fear, or selfishness. That's why biblical financial wisdom goes deeper than behavior. God is interested not only in what we do with money but in what is happening in our hearts while we do it. Four Questions Before Your Next Financial Decision This financial-house framework can become a practical tool whenever you face an important money decision. Before making a major purchase, investment, career move, or other financial choice, prayerfully ask: Am I approaching this from pride or gratitude? Am I being driven by coveting or contentment? Am I responding from anxiety or trust? Am I acting with indifference or love? Those questions can expose motivations that a spreadsheet never will. Sometimes they may lead us away from something we originally wanted. Other times, they may give us greater freedom to move forward. Either way, they help us consider not merely whether we can make a financial decision, but whether that decision fits the kind of steward God is shaping us to become. Build From the Inside Out It's tempting to begin our financial lives with tactics: budgets, investments, debt repayment plans, and retirement accounts. Those things are important. But Scripture invites us to start deeper. Build your foundation on Christ. Strengthen your life with gratitude, contentment, trust, and love. Remember that your identity is not owner but steward. Then let wise financial practices flow from those convictions. Storms will come. Jesus never suggested otherwise. But a financial life built on the Rock has something stronger than money holding it together. On Today's Program, Rob Answers Listener Questions: I have a 3% mortgage on about $300,000 and keep seeing ads promoting simple-interest home loans. Would it make sense to convert my current mortgage, or consider a simple-interest loan when we move in a few years? My husband and I are considering living off our savings for a year while I attend an accelerated nursing program at full out-of-state tuition. We live very frugally and have built up substantial savings. Does using that money to fund my schooling make financial sense? Resources Mentioned: Faithful Steward: FaithFi's Quarterly Magazine (Become a FaithFi Partner) Satisfied: Discovering Contentment in a World of Consumption by Jeff Manion FaithFi Field Guide: How Much Money is Enough?  Our Ultimate Treasure: A 21-Day Journey to Faithful Stewardship by Rob West Wisdom Over Wealth: 12 Lessons from Ecclesiastes on Money Look At The Sparrows: A 21-Day Devotional on Financial Fear and Anxiety Rich Toward God: A Study on the Parable of the Rich Fool Find a Certified Kingdom Advisor® (CKA) FaithFi App Remember, you can call in to ask your questions every weekday at (800) 525-7000. Faith & Finance is also available on Moody Radio Network and American Family Radio. You can also visit FaithFi.com to connect with our online community and partner with us as we help more people live as faithful stewards of God's resources. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Happy feast of St. Bartholomew the Apostle! On today’s show, Matt Swaim and Anna Mitchell welcome Dr. John Bergsma to share more about the calling of this disciple of Jesus. Other guests include Fr. John Gavin to share what St. Augustine had to say about the Sermon on the Mount, and Kevin Schmiesing with This Week in Catholic History. Plus news, weather, sports, and more… ***** Collect Prayer for the Feast of St. Bartholomew Strengthen in us, O Lord, the faith, by which the blessed Apostle Bartholomew clung wholeheartedly to your Son, and grant that through the help of his prayers your Church may become for all the nations the sacrament of salvation. Through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son, who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit, God, for ever and ever. ***** Clare Swinarski is online at ascensionpress.com/fiatgirls. Full list of guestsSupport the show: https://www.sacredheartradio.com/donate-now/See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Matt Murphy's sermon on Matthew 7:7–12 reminds us that prayer is not primarily about trying harder, but about knowing that we have a generous, loving Father who invites us to come to Him with our needs, desires, fears, and hopes. God may not give us everything we ask for, but He promises to give us what is good, and His generosity invites us to live with dependence, trust, and confidence in His goodness even when He seems silent. Because we have received such abundant generosity from our Father, especially through the gift of Jesus, we are called to extend that same generosity to others.

By Troy Phelps - Speaker: Troy Phelps Date: 8/22/26 In this third sermon on a series through the Sermon on the Mount, and specifically the Beatitudes, we look in-depth at "peacemakers”. Here we see peacemakers are called to something far deeper than simply avoiding conflict or keeping everyone happy. This sermon

Jesus' Sermon on the Mount opens with a startling observation: “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.” Flying in the face of human reasoning, Jesus asserts that it is those who humble themselves who will find their way to His kingdom. This coming Sunday, in a sermon entitled “Blessed Are the Poor in Spirit,” we will discuss how one develops this disposition and how to keep pride from blinding us to the great promise Jesus has made.Recorded on August 16, 2026

Episode #220 – Stop Being Foolish!Response to the Sermon on the Mount – Part 2 (Matthew 7:24–27)How does a believer move from hearing Christ's words to faithfully living them?Episode #220 of the Way of the Bible podcast continues our study of Jesus' illustration of the Wise and Foolish Builders by issuing a direct challenge to believers: Stop being foolish. Rather than focusing primarily on the unbelieving world, this episode examines Christ's warnings to His own church and calls every follower of Jesus to renewed faithfulness. The message begins by revisiting Jesus' conclusion to the Sermon on the Mount in Matthew 7:24–27, where two builders hear the same words but respond differently. One builds upon the rock through obedient faith, while the other builds upon sand by refusing to put Christ's teaching into practice. This contrast provides the framework for the episode's central question: What does spiritual foolishness look like in the life of a believer? To answer that question, the discussion turns to Revelation 3 and Christ's letter to the church in Laodicea. Jesus describes believers who have become spiritually lukewarm—neither fully committed nor openly opposed to Him. They believe themselves to be rich and self-sufficient, yet Christ sees them as spiritually poor, blind, and in need of repentance. His rebuke is not intended to condemn but to restore those whom He loves. The episode also places this warning within the broader story of Scripture. From Genesis, where humanity's rebellion brought sin and death into the world, to Revelation, where God restores creation and dwells with His redeemed people, the Bible consistently calls God's people to trust Him, reject deception, and persevere in faithful obedience. The Christian life is not merely about entering heaven but about growing into the likeness of Christ through the transforming work of the Holy Spirit. Drawing from 1 Corinthians 3, listeners are reminded that believers will one day give an account for how they have built upon the foundation of Jesus Christ. Paul urges Christians not to deceive themselves by adopting the wisdom of this world but to pursue the wisdom that comes from God. Spiritual maturity is measured not by knowledge alone but by lives increasingly marked by humility, holiness, and faithful service. The episode concludes with Christ's gracious invitation: "Those whom I love I rebuke and discipline. So be earnest and repent." His desire is not merely that believers avoid judgment but that they experience restored fellowship with Him, live as children of light, and prepare faithfully for His return. Ultimately, Episode #220 reminds us that the call to "stop being foolish" is not a message of despair but of hope. Jesus continues to seek, correct, restore, and strengthen those who belong to Him. The question before every believer is both simple and searching:Will we continue building on the shifting sands of self-reliance, or will we once again build our lives upon the Rock who is Jesus Christ?

Relationships have the potential to bring life's greatest joys but they can also bring some of the deepest pain. How do we navigate these everyday connections in a world that tells us to look out for number one? In this message by Pastor Paul Gates, we dive back into Jesus' Sermon on the Mount. Paul reveals how we can deploy the ultimate TASK Force in our daily lives—anchored in Trust, Actions, Serving, and Kindness.   Together, we unpack what it truly means to live out counter-cultural love in our relationships. From learning why your character matters far more than simple words, to understanding the surprising historical context behind going the extra mile, Jesus offers us a radical alternative to revenge and retaliation. When we allow God's word, rather than culture or our fleeting emotions, to influence how we respond to others, we disarm conflict and glorify God.   Our relationships are transformed from the inside out when we stop letting the world drive our behavior and instead allow Jesus to lead us. Join us as we learn how applying God's word can help us to love generously, serve selflessly, and to bring real hope to the people around you!

In Matthew 7:1–6, Pastor Allen Smith reminds us that Jesus calls us away from condemning others and toward a humble, discerning life shaped by His grace. Before we point out the “speck” in someone else's eye, we must first examine the “plank” in our own, allowing Jesus to transform our hearts so that we can see others with compassion and truth. As we follow Jesus, we learn to exercise righteous judgment not from pride or superiority, but from a Christ-centered posture of humility, grace, and mercy.

8/16/2026 AM Service An overview of the righteousness Jesus requires in the Sermon on the Mount

The sermon explores the Eighth Commandment, "You shall not steal," by examining its statement, extent, and theological basis. It defines theft broadly to include actions, thoughts, and attitudes such as fraud, laziness, and kidnapping, while affirming that private property is a good creation ordinance from God. The preacher argues that the positive counterpart to this prohibition is diligent work and generous giving to meet the needs of others. Drawing on Pauline epistles and the Sermon on the Mount, the message connects honest labor with the ability to support the community and fulfill the law of love. Ultimately, the teaching encourages believers to view work not as a burden but as a sacred duty that reflects God's character and promotes neighborly care.

CheckoutThe God Centered Concept Academy Training Community to learn what growth in Christ isTUVU CommunitiesCheck out this link to view Kingdom Cross Roads on TV.https://jesussaid.tv/?affiliate=tswright_gccTo get a copy of our new book "Embracing the Truth" or to have TS Wright speak at your event or conference or if you simply want spiritual or life coaching or just a consultation visit:www.tswrightspeaks.comVisit our website to learn more about The God Centered Concept. The God Centered Concept is designed to bring real discipleship and spreading the Gospel to help spark the Great Harvest, a revival in this generation.www.godcenteredconcept.comKingdom Cross Roads Podcast is a part of The God Centered Concept.What happens when life does not unfold as you expected—and you reach the end of your own strength?In this powerful episode of the Kingdom Cross Roads Podcast, TS Wright welcomes disability advocate, speaker, and author John Fela. John shares how his journey with his nonverbal son, who has profound autism, ultimately brought him to faith in Jesus Christ.Raised in a culturally Catholic home, John later explored other spiritual paths but remained disconnected from biblical Christianity. When disability-related challenges affected his marriage, finances, career, and family life, John realized that he needed more than reassuring words—he needed genuine community, practical support, and lasting hope.That search led him to a Christian men's group, where believers welcomed him, listened to his struggles, and prayed for him. On one unforgettable stormy night in 2012, John surrendered his life to Jesus.John also discusses his memoir, Faith Like My Father, and the surprising significance of two words repeatedly spoken by his earthly father: “Don't panic.” Years later, while hearing a message based on Jesus' teaching about worry in the Sermon on the Mount, John finally understood those words. That revelation helped him release years of anger and forgive his father.In this conversation, you will hear about:• Raising a child with profound autism and significant support needs• Finding Christ during the lowest season of John's life• Why Christian community must offer more than comforting words• The Church's responsibility to welcome and support people with disabilities• John's work in disability advocacy and disability ministry• Trusting God when faith does not immediately remove life's problems• Remaining obedient through divorce, single parenthood, and uncertainty• Overcoming anger before it becomes deeply rooted bitterness• Forgiving those who have wounded us• Recognizing God's providence in painful circumstances• The message behind John's memoir, Faith Like My FatherJohn's testimony reminds us that following Jesus does not mean every problem disappears. It means we no longer face our problems alone. God remains present, orders our steps, and can use even our most painful experiences for His redemptive purposes.If you are walking through a valley, caring for someone with a disability, struggling with anger, or wondering where God is in your circumstances, John's story will encourage you to keep seeking Christ and refuse to panic.Connect with John Fela and learn more about Faith Like My Father:https://johnfela.comKeywordsJohn Fela, Faith Like My Father, TS Wright, Kingdom Cross Roads Podcast, disability ministry, disability advocacy, autism ministry, profound autism, severe autism, nonverbal autism, special needs parenting, Christian parenting, fathers of children with disabilities, Christian testimony, finding faith in Jesus, faith during trials, trusting God in crisis, Christian forgiveness, overcoming anger, healing from bitterness, God's providence, Christian obedience, spiritual perseverance, Christian community, inclusive church, special needs ministry, Joni and Friends, Key Ministry, Sermon on the Mount, don't panic, hope in Jesus, faith through suffering

join us for our Sunday morning study entitled "Firm Foundation"

In today's episode of The Whole Counsel, Dr. John Snyder is joined by Louis Sacran, an experienced pastor and counselor from Ripley, Mississippi. Today, John and Louis discuss a biblical perspective on trials. Using 1 Corinthians 10:13 as a starting point, Louis explains that trials are real, and they hurt. They are also common to all humanity. He reminds us that God is faithful and that we have choices during trials. John and Louis also talk about the importance of taking all thoughts captive to Christ and of not forsaking Scripture in times of difficulty.   SHOW NOTES

Sometimes I wish it were in my power to get every church youth group in America to go on a missions trip. Something unusual happens when some all-American kids suddenly get plunged into another culture to do some work in Jesus' name. It does something for the people they go to help, but I think it does more for the kids who are doing the helping. I heard a local youth group report on their trip to Mexico. Basically they had all of their support stripped away from them while they were there. It was a language they weren't accustomed to, the money was different, they didn't have the comforts they were used to, they had some spiders hanging over them as they slept at night which they for the most part don't have at home. They had unfamiliar food. The customs were things they weren't used to. The result on these mission trips is pretty predictable. All of a sudden, kids who never have devotions are up early in the morning on a rock with a Bible somewhere. Kids who have always thought prayer was boring are saying, "Let's pray!" What they learn several thousand miles from home is something you may need to learn right where you are today. I'm Ron Hutchcraft and I want to have A Word With You today about "Desperate for An Answer." Our word for today from the Word of God comes from Matthew 5:6. You might recognize this as being in what's called The Beatitudes, Jesus' Sermon on the Mount. He says, "Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled." I think Jesus is describing spiritual health here in terms similar to what we do when we talk about physical health - appetite. How's your appetite? And He is talking about people who say, "I'm hungry for the Lord; I'm thirsty for the Lord. I need more of You, Lord. I need You!" Those kids on that missionary trip are learning a valuable lesson. With all of their usual dependencies stripped away, they find out that you know the Lord when you need the Lord. Maybe that's why third-world Christians have so much more power in their lives, and have so much more revival in their experience than we do. They don't have all of the props we do, and it seems that those who know the Lord the best are those who need Him the most. We dig deeply into the Lord when the bottom drops out. I'm sure you have. I have. And then, once things have stabilized, we tend to return to our old props. We tend to return to a casual Christianity instead of this desperately dependent but very rich faith. The fact is we desperately need the Lord every day, not just when the bottom drops out. We're as needy as the people in the third world. We shouldn't be confused because we've got internet, and movies, and concerts, and church services, and homes and all these other support structures. We just don't cling to Him because we're surrounded by so many other resources. Do we have to wait for all our resources to be stripped away before we learn how much we need our Lord? Do we have to be starving to death before we get to be hungry for more of Him? "Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness. They will be filled." See what we're missing because we haven't acknowledged how much we need Him? Even now, why don't you ask the Lord (it's kind of a strange prayer), "Lord, make me desperate for You." He'd rather do it without trauma and without tragedy. Ask Him to give you a new hour-by-hour sense of your desperate need for Him; an hour-by-hour dependency; the child on his Heavenly Father. And then live today as if God is your only hope, not just one of your many resources. When you need the Lord desperately, you get to know Him deeply.

Hey, Beyond Sunday listeners! Today, we're joined by Wes Selecman for a deeper dive into his sermon on Matthew 7:24-29 from this past Sunday. Thank you for following along with us this summer as we've been journeying back through the Sermon on the Mount! In the next few weeks, we'll be interviewing members of our church staff to help you understand the who, what, when, where, and why of our various ministry areas. Listen in to learn more about the heart and vision behind Preschool & Kids; Student Ministry; College, Young Adults & the Internship; Worship & the Harvest Collective; Home Groups & Sunday Schools; and Missions. You'll also receive guidance on how to get plugged into each of these areas! Then stay tuned for our Fall 2026 season, where we'll discuss John Piper's book Battling Unbelief: Defeating Sin with Superior Pleasure. We hope you'll join us!

What does it actually mean to follow Jesus? At the conclusion of Jesus's Sermon on the Mount in Matthew 7:13-29, we explore Jesus' invitation to follow Him through the narrow way – a life not marked by simply being inspired by the words of Jesus, but by putting His teaching into practice and obeying the will of the Father. Jesus shows here that obedience starts with knowing God and being known by Him. That outward expressions of religion are no substitute for an inward transformation of heart and for real intimacy with God Himself. From this place of intimacy, we are then invited into obedience – to participate in God's Kingdom work here on the earth.

What do we do when we've been hurt, offended, mistreated, or wronged? Our natural response is often retaliation, to give back what we've received. But in Matthew 5:38–42, Jesus calls His followers to a radically different response. In this message, Andrew Fish talks about how as believers in Jesus we think different, act different, and respond differently. 

In this episode, Ian Morgan Cron and I talk about Chasing Francis, the novel he wrote twenty years ago (before anyone called it deconstruction) about a megachurch pastor who loses his faith mid-sermon and goes looking for St. Francis in Italy. We get into a 13th-century church that looks a lot like ours, beauty as a doorway back to God, why Francis walked across a battlefield to meet a sultan, the difference between spotlight attention and lantern attention, and why the sermon on the mount should be read as instructions.Ian Morgan Cron is a bestselling author, Episcopal priest, trained psychotherapist, Enneagram teacher, Dove Award-winning songwriter, and one of the most sought-after voices in American spirituality today. His Enneagram primer The Road Back to You has sold over one million copies and launched a global conversation about self-knowledge and spiritual formation. But Chasing Francis is where it all started — and where it still leads. Ian's work spans psychology, theology, the arts, and pastoral care. He speaks from lived experience: he has sat with the burned out, the doubting, the spiritually shipwrecked — and he has been all three himself. He is the host of the widely popular podcast Typology and has appeared on media across the country.Ian's Book:Chasing FrancisIan's RecommendationsThe Master and His EmissaryThe Myth of NormalConnect with Joshua: jjohnson@shiftingculturepodcast.comGo to www.shiftingculturepodcast.com to interact and donate. Every donation helps to produce more podcasts for you to enjoy.Follow on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, Threads, Bluesky or YouTubeSupport the podcast and the ministry that my wife and I do around the world. Just click on the support the show link below Support the show

Text: Matthew 6:19-24

People use religion it to feel superior, or to protect their position. The name and rituals remain. But the love is gone. "What passes as Christianity is a negation of the Sermon on the Mount." Gandhi wasn't rejecting Jesus — he was rejecting what had been done in his name. Something starts with a genuine God experience, rooted in love. Over time it gets warped — In this episode Raghunath and Kaustubha explore that pattern across traditions alongside Srimad Bhagavatam's telling of Aristiaura, a shapeshifter adopting the form of Dharma but sent to kill. Srimad Bhagavatam 10.36.1-10 ******************************************************************** LOVE THE PODCAST? WE ARE COMMUNITY SUPPORTED AND WOULD LOVE FOR YOU TO JOIN! Go to https://www.wisdomofthesages.com WATCH ON YOUTUBE: https://youtube.com/@WisdomoftheSages LISTEN ON ITUNES: https://podcasts/apple.com/us/podcast/wisdom-of-the-sages/id1493055485 CONNECT ON FACEBOOK: https://facebook.com/wisdomofthesages108 *********************************************************************

This is the Motion Church Podcast. Thanks for joining us. If you'd like more information about Motion Church, you can always visit our website at motionchurch.com. If you'd like to contribute to what God is doing here at Motion, you can do that at motionchurch.com/give. We hope you enjoyed today's message. Hey, so we're kicking off a new... There we go. Kicking off a new series today called Rock and Soul. Rock and Soul. Did you know that that's an actual genre of music? There are people that have kind of tried to... There was an album. I forget who it was. It's like in the 70s or 80s, like Simon and Garfunkel or something, you know? Anybody feel me on that? And then they came out with an album and it was called Rock and Soul. Not what we're talking about at all. We're talking about... We're gonna shift gears a little bit from kind of the format of our last series. We were very localized in terms of, you know, timeline. We're just looking at some of the stories from the life and ministry of Jesus and stories that demonstrated incredible faith and really enjoyed working. One of my favorite things to do is just kind of taking a passage of Scripture and just working through it, right? Kind of what does it say? What does it mean? How does it apply to us? What are some details that we're inclined to miss? Because we read... Sometimes I do this. Sometimes I just read it to read it and I miss some stuff, right? So I love working through a passage of Scripture like we did each week in that series. This series, we're gonna be all over the place. We are gonna be in Matthew today. We'll probably be in the book of Psalms next week and maybe the book of Exodus the next week. So we're gonna be all over the place. And the point is what we're gonna be doing is looking at in Scripture some of the references to rocks and the imagery and the symbolism and kind of the analogies that rocks have in terms of a spiritual connection to what it is that we're trying to accomplish as followers of Jesus. Makes sense? How many of you like rocks? Rocks are fun. Now, all the dudes, I promise you if we walked outside and there was a pile of rocks, we would pick it up and we would have a target competition, right? We're gonna hit... First one to hit the light pole wins. And for 30 minutes, because all of our arms are trashed these days, right? And then tomorrow we'd wake up and be like, "I don't know what's wrong with..." So we're gonna look at one of the many, some of the many, a few of the many references and illustrations pertaining to rocks in Scripture. Here's what I believe. I believe that anything that is repeated in Scripture is important. If there's a pattern that is repeated, it's for a reason. You're a parent. You know you repeat things that are important because they didn't hear it the first time or the third time or the 300th time. So you just continue to repeat things that are important. I think if there are principles that are repeated, it's there for a reason. It's important. If there is symbolism that is repeated, it also is important. There's got to be something to it, right? And I think that is very true as it relates to rocks. Did you know this... So it's funny when I was writing out my notes, I wrote offhand... This is verbatim what I said. I said, "Offhand, I would venture to say that there are over a hundred references to rocks in Scripture." So then I was like, "Well, I better fact check myself because somebody will do it if I don't." Right? I know y'all. And is somebody gonna call me out because you were wrong past... So I Googled it. And it said that there are roughly between 99 and 136 references to rocks in Scripture, depending on which translation you use. And you know, maybe this is a looser analogy or whatever the case was. So about 100, okay? About 100. And we're only gonna look at a few. You can thank me later. For the next two years, we're gonna be doing a series called Rock and Soul. Got a hundred messages lined out. We're good to go. So we're gonna kick off this week. We're gonna look at an analogy that Jesus uses that highlights the importance of rocks. Here we go. Title for today's message is a firm foundation. A firm foundation. Y'all know this. This is gonna be fun. Sometimes, I think the expectation sometimes when we go to church is like we're expecting to hear something we've never heard before. And I'll be very honest with you. Sometimes we just need to hear what we've already heard and do what we've already... Right? This is for me, right? It's not that I need to learn something new. I need to do better doing what I already know. That's what needs to happen sometimes. So the title is a firm foundation. The first point is, we're gonna call this one construction 101. Construction 101. I know a lot of you guys, guys and girls are kind of in construction industries or construction adjacent injuries. You understand injuries. It's football season. I already think about injuries, right? The construction industry connected like you understand. And if you have it, you've seen houses being built. You understand kind of some of the basic components of construction. We all probably understand how important a good foundation is to whatever it is that you're building. And that's the point that Jesus makes in Matthew chapter 7 verses 24 through 27. It says this. So just before we dive into it, it's the two paths, right? It's the two ways that you can choose to live your life. I think we think sometimes that there's a lot of different paths. And the reality is it's like, yeah, those paths may look different, but it's still the same path, right? You can take this road or you can take this road. One ends well, one not so well. Therefore, if it says therefore, preacher joke, you got to see what it's there for. Therefore, whoever hears these sayings of mine, this is Jesus talking, whoever hears these sayings of mine and does them, I will liken him to a wise man who built his house on the rock and the rain descended. The floods came and the winds blew and beat on that house and it did not fall for it was founded on the rock. Founded on the rock is another way of saying what the rock was its foundation. So it was founded on the rock. But everyone who hears these sayings of mine and does not do them will be like a foolish man who built his house on the sand and the rain descended. The floods came and the winds blew and beat on that house and it fell and great was its fall. So here's what we're going to do. We're going to break down both of those paths, right? But what does it look like when you build your house on the rock? What does it look like when you build your house on the sand? What are kind of some of the things that go into that? And ultimately, what is the outcome of that? And really, I hope through contrast, we can see which is the better path for us as if you don't know this. But sometimes again, just important to be reminded of things that we know. So we're going to break it down. You ready? Break it down. I thought you were going to start dancing. Break it down. Break it down. This is the first thing that Jesus said. Therefore, whoever hears these sayings of mine, whoever hears these sayings of mine, that's where for us, for those of us who aspire to be wise people who build their house on the rock, it starts with hearing these words of mine. Now, specifically in context, what is Jesus talking about? The words that he just said, right? So Matthew chapter five, Matthew chapter six, Matthew chapter seven, it's a sermon on the Mount. And in terms of a sermon, best sermon ever preached, ever hands down, bar none, nothing even close, right? Just maybe the modern way to say it would be bars, right? Just so good. Matthew chapter five starts with the beatitudes, blessed are the poor in spirit, blessed are the me, blessed are the peacemakers, blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness. And then I'll be honest with you, like the back half of Matthew chapter five is tough. It's tough because he's like, Hey, I know this is what you've been taught, but I actually expect more of you. Like I know this is what you think about adultery, but I'm also going to teach you about lust. I know this is what you think about murder, but this is what I'm going to tell you about anger, right? Not that any of us struggle with those sorts of things, right? Not an angry person at all. Okay. Right. And so he gets into some stuff and he's like, Oh, those enemies that you've got, I'm going to teach you how to forgive them. That, that, that thing that people asked you how to do, I'm going to teach you how to go another mile. I'm like, why did you have to put all that stuff in there? Jesus, right? So it's such good, but challenging stuff, which is kind of the point. And we'll go over this a little bit more in detail at the end. The point for us, those of us who are aspiring to build our house on the rock, y'all, we don't get to pick and choose which sayings of Jesus apply to us or which ones we, we want to fit into our lives. The point is not for us to fit the teachings of Jesus into our lives. It's to fit our lives into the teachings of Jesus. Okay. And I look at, and not easy. Nobody ever said that it was, but worthwhile. It's building your house on a rock and it's something that will last. So he's specifically talking about the words that he just said, Matthew chapter six. This is how you give. This is how you pray. This is how you fast. Also stop worrying about everything. Look at the birds of the air. I take care of them. Look at the flowers of the field. I take care of them. What can you add to your life by worrying about all the things that you be out here worrying about? Right? It's good stuff. And in Matthew chapter seven, he's like, uh, you know, the, the ask, seek, knock, and then also our, our favorite, the judge, not list, you be judged, right? And then the two different paths, Matthew chapter Matthew seven, 13 and 14. He's like, Hey, there's a Broadway and there's a narrow way. And it's like your mama said, if everybody else was jumping off the bridge, would you jump off the bridge also? Right. And then he finishes with, you know, if you hear my words and you do them, you'll be like a wise man who built his house on the rock. However, I think it's safe to expand this to the other teachings, the life of Jesus, the example of Jesus. So anything that Jesus said, anything that Jesus did, I think it is safe for us to assume that when we hear that, when we see that we should do that. Okay. Very good. All right. So that's the simplest takeaway is, is the idea for us, I think bottom line, we need to be hearing the words of Jesus. Like whoever hears these words of mine, we need to hear the words of Jesus. You know why that's so important? Because we hear everything else. We hear everything else. Like just all the chatter and all the talk and all the, the criticism and all the negativity. We hear everything else. We hear the news. We, we, we read the articles, right? We hear the reels. We see the shorts. We hear the opinions. We hear the criticisms and what you better have, what you have to have, if you want to make it, if you want to build your house on something that's going to last is you better build your house on the rock. You need to hear the words of Jesus to give you framework, to understand everything else that you're hearing. I'm hearing it, but is it true? And if I hear the words of Jesus, I know what truth is. So I know that that's not truth. So that doesn't get internalized into my life. If I hear the words of Jesus and I know what's good and right and, and just in those sorts of things, then all of the other things that I hear, they don't have the same effect on me. It just gives us a framework. We need to be hearing the words of Jesus. That means we get into his word. We read the scriptures like personally, like it's not, listen, and y'all know this, but it's not the church's job to feed you. Y'all, if you're eating one time a week, like you're in trouble, you are not getting the proper nutrition. You should be eating all the time. Just eat, eat, right? Sorry, another football reference. Just like we got to be, we have to be, we have to be hearing the words of Jesus on our own. Listen to sermons. Like you're not going to hurt my feelings. I know there are better preachers out there. I listen to them too, right? Listen to people who are preaching the word of God, hear the words of Jesus, be in, come to church. Like we're going to talk about it here too. And that's amazing, but that's once a week and we need to be hearing it more than just that. Get into some small groups where it's being talked about. Have some friendships where you can, you can like break it down. And man, this is what I think it means. And what do you think it means? I have no idea. Tell me what you're thinking, how you feel, and hear the words of Jesus. We just need to hear the words of Jesus. Have you ever known someone so well that you knew what, this happens to me a lot. Everybody thinks they know what I would do. And usually they're right. I'm kind of predictable, right? So there are so many times in my life, somebody's like, yeah, I know what you would have done. So I went ahead and did it. I'm like, all right, you got me. That's right. And so what's the point of that? It's like, you know someone so well that you know what they would do even if they're not there. Why? Because you've heard their heart. You've heard, if you hear the words of Jesus, you hear his heart and you know what you're supposed to do. So the person who hears these words of mine, and then the next part of that, and this is the challenging part of that, and does them, and does them. And I know you know this, but it is not enough to hear the words of Jesus. We need to do something with the words of Jesus. We got to, listen, it's got to get deep down. It's got to penetrate deep enough into your heart that it actually affects the way that you live your life. The point is never, ever just information. The point is transformation. Like information in and of itself is fine, but it's never enough. The point is to have the information that goes in and does a work on your soul that causes you to live differently. This is how it says it in the book of James, James chapter one, verses 22 through 25. One of my favorite passages of scripture, and I say that all the time, and I mean it. I got a bunch of, like some of y'all got a bunch of best friends, which is impossible because best means best. It's my favorite passage of scripture. Here we go. It says, "But be doers of the word and not hearers only." Deceiving yourselves. Isn't that kind of interesting? Because like I think what we do sometimes is we talk ourselves into not doing it because we know it, and that's kind of good enough, right? So we deceive ourselves because we're hearers and not doers also. And then it says, "For if anyone is," this is so good, listen to this, "For if anyone is a hearer of the word and not a doer, he is like a man observing his natural face in a mirror," checking yourself out, looking at all the angles. I know you snuck in that duck face selfie. I know you did. "Is like a man observing his natural face in a mirror, for he observes himself, goes away, and immediately forgets what kind of man he was. But he who looks into the perfect law of liberty and continues in it and is not a forgetful hearer but a doer of the word, this one will be blessed in what he does." You know what I think that means? Again, when we hear the words of Jesus, we understand the heart of Jesus. When you hear the words of Jesus and you do them, you know who he is. Therefore, you know who you are. You can look in the mirror and you know who you are. And when you leave the mirror, you still know who you are because you've heard the words of Jesus and you've allowed them to get deep enough into your heart that you understand your identity. You're not going to leave and forget who you are just based on who you're with because that never happens. Like, what is it? A code switch? Is that what they call it when you get around different people and you act different? Thank you, trendy. Youth pastor, right? It keeps me in touch. It's not enough. It's not enough to be a theologian. And I think that's amazing that there are people who devote so much of their time and, you know, effort and stuff to learning more about scripture and learning about God. But listen, if you're a theologian and not a practitioner, you are wasting your time. Like, if you got all the knowledge in the world and there isn't any application of that knowledge, you are missing the point. You're missing the boat. You're wasting your time. And trust me when I say this is like, this is not an attack on knowledge. Knowledge, I think, is incredibly important. We should always be aspiring to attain a better understanding of the things of God, but never just for the sake of knowing, but for doing, right? I know it so that I know how to do it. Not just so I know it so that I know it because y'all got a lot of, there's plenty of those. You met the know-it-alls that never do anything. I'm like, that's amazing. You got all this information in your head. How about you get out there and do something with your hands? That was good preaching. Sorry. You know what the difference in my opinion is between knowledge and wisdom? Again, knowledge is incredible. Knowledge is kind of, it's the doorway. It's the step in the right direction, but knowledge is simply information. It's having the information in your head. Wisdom is when you take that information and you apply it to your life. You're a hearer and a doer also. So that's the second part, right? So he hears the words of Jesus and he does them. And then Jesus said, this is like a wise man who built his house, which means, which is to say that then we get about the business of building our house built, which is kind of another way, a clever way of saying, an illustrative way of saying, go build your life on the principles of Jesus, the teachings of Jesus, the ways of Jesus. Then go and build your life. Like we are called to be doers, not just in the sense that we're doing God's word, but doers in the sense that we are building something that matters and something that lasts. Our lives are significant. We're not just, you're not just floating through time. Like you're here for a reason. You have a purpose. Like God has called you to do something with your life. So get about building that house, right? I think someone who follows the teachings of Jesus, you feel deep in your soul that you're supposed to do something significant with your life. We use language like this, like something bigger than myself. You feel this sense of urgency to build something and be a part of something that is bigger than yourself. It's something that you can pass on to the generations to come. It's never just about you because you're building something that matters. We're called to be builders and makers, not just grifters and takers. That was a good line. You can say amen or owe me, right? We're called to be builders. We're called to be people who make things, like who creates. God is a creative God and we're made in his image. Therefore we should create. So we're called to be builders and makers, not just grifters and takers. The world and the church for that matter. We've got too many of those. We've got so many people that are always about what can you do for me? What can I get out of this? It's always this consumption thing. It's always, and you live your whole life like that and it even bleeds over into your spiritual pursuits where it's always about consumption. Here's a thought. What have you given? What have you built? What have you contributed? Make sure it's not that we don't consume. It's just also we do contribute as well. So let's get about the building part of this. We hear God's word. We do God's word and we build our lives on the rock. And when you build your life on the rock, it is good for your soul. Rock and soul. Okay, good. Now on the other hand, this I thought about calling this point shoddy craftsmanship. On the other hand, this is the person who Jesus said built his house on the sand. And I thought I was kind of working like why did Jesus choose to use sand as kind of the reference point, the imagery of the foundation of someone who is unwise, a foolish person. And we'll get there. I think there's obviously significance to that, but I think there are some other things that we should point out first. The first thing is it's interesting how the story is set up exactly the same. So he says the wise man, hears the words, does them, then he builds his house on the rock. The foolish man hears the words, doesn't do them. So it's kind of the same order. It's just a different outcome because of what he chose to do with the information that he had. So he hears them. He doesn't do them. And he builds his house on the sand. And you know what I think this, this is just maybe this is my opinion. Maybe I'm reading too much into this. You notice how Jesus directs. It seems to be a directed message at a specific audience. And I think the tendency is to think that this is a message for them. Y'all ever do that and be like, man, that's a good word preacher for my neighbor, right? My wife needed to hear that. My husband show needed to hear that, right? My kids, God bless them, they show needed to hear that. And I think this is a message because we hear that and we're like, oh yeah, yeah, they're not doing the words of Jesus. This is obviously, obviously for all those, those sinners and those pagans and those outsiders. But what does he say? He's like those who hear my words and don't do them. I think this is a message just as much for the insiders as it is for the outsiders. I think it's easy. This is the easy thing to do. It's so easy for us to look at the world and all of the craziness and all of the evil and cast dispersions and be like, oh yeah, the world. And that's fair. Like we're allowed to call things for what they are. We're beholden to truth and light so we can call evil what it is. But this specific analogy is for those who hear the words of Jesus and don't do them. And listen, that very well could be me and you. You can go to church and I hope you do. I mean, I think it's important, right? You can go to church and you can make claims that you follow Jesus, but if you hear it and don't do it, you're a person who's building your house, building your life on the sand. If you aren't doing what he said to do, then you are building your house on the sand. Okay, here's the other thing. This is another thing that's interesting about this passage. Jesus doesn't make any distinction between the fact that both groups are building, right? So one is building their house, building their life on the rock. The other is building their house, building their life on the sand, which is maybe another way to say, hey, they're busy too, right? They've got full plates too. They've got activities too. They've got crowded hearts too. It's not that they're not building something. It's not that they're not winning. It may just be that they're winning at the wrong things. I thought that was good, right? Because I think that's sometimes, sometimes the measure that we use to evaluate the success of somebody's life is like how active they are and how busy they are and how much they accomplish. And that's not the measure. The measure is, are you building your house on the rock? Are you building your house to last? Are you building your house on the foundation, the principles, the teachings, the hearings, the words of Jesus? Or are you just busy building a life that's absent of those things? And if you do, you may be building, but you're not building something that lasts. You're not building something that's going to be significant down the road. And so there's a difference between the choice and foundation, and that makes all the difference. And so here's what we do, the tendency again, because that's the way sometimes that we tend to measure things. We can win, but we can win at the wrong things. And here's what's scary about that is like, I can tell you as a fact, there's a lot of things that I cannot tell you for a fact. There are some things that I've got strong opinions on. There are some things that I've got like, you know, sometimes I make up things just to fill in the gaps. I know, you know, Shelley, when we first got married, Shelley was like, man, you just know everything. I'm like, yes, I do. And the truth is, this is before the internet was like ubiquitous. And the truth is, I just kind of made it up on a best guess, right? And it's like, and I was like, right ish a lot of times. So it just, it just happened to work out. But the truth is like, we don't, we don't know everything, right? But I can tell you this for a fact, like from personal experience, that this is a possibility of this, this building your life on the wrong foundation is a possibility for good church-going folk like me and you. I know you don't want to hear that. And I think, you know, I'm at church, I'm building my, yeah, listen, if you hear it and you don't do it, you're building your house on the sand. And that can happen to any one of us. It can happen to me. It's like there have been seasons in my life where I've been building stuff, but it's not been the right stuff, right? So this is, I'm so thankful to God for these necessary warnings along the way. We can never, we can't ever get to the end of our life and be mad at Jesus for not telling us. Because He told us on the front end, you're going to have these troubles. You're going to have these struggles. Make sure you build your life like all of the warnings that He gave us. I'm so thankful for them. And then, then we get to the foundation selection. So you've got the one who built his house on the rock and the other who built his house on the sand. What is the significance of the sand? You know how foolish that would be, right? To build your house. You've walked on sand. You've been to a beach. You know that sand gives way under pressure. You ever tried to run in the sand? You look like a slug, right? Again, in my mind, I still got it, right? There's still some athleticism there. And you get in the sand, you're like, nah, it's gone. It is gone, gone, gone. You know how foolish it would be to build your house on the sand? It's unstable. It's shifty. Does it sound like some people's lives? The instability gives weight under pressure, gives weight under pressure. There's not some stick-to-it-iveness to it. It's like shifting and moving. That's crazy. Which is exactly the point that Jesus was making, right? That's exactly the point. The people that don't follow His ways, this is what they're inclined to do. They're inclined to just shift, to just change. Just like whatever. There's no stability under pressure. So I'm just going to go on to the next thing. These are the types of people who are inclined to follow their heart. Follow their heart into the next thing, this thing, that thing, everything, whatever is the next shiny thing. There's always the volatility and the instability. And these are the types of people who are so quick to start one thing. And then when it doesn't go, how they think it should go, they're on to the next thing. And that doesn't exclude relationships. I know that's offensive. And Frank, listen, you know, I've decided at some point in my life, in the last few years, I am not going to apologize for sharing the truths about God's Word. Just not going to do it. Like if it offends you, and obviously I want to do that as lovingly, as kindly as possible, but I'm just not going to apologize for telling you what God's Word says. So these types of people, that's why we see, like, marriages dissolve so quickly. It's like, "Oh, well, it's not Cinderella. It's not a fairy tale like I thought it was going to be." So I'm out. Or you can build your house on the rock, where there's some stability and there's some persistence. What is a rock? It is resilience, right? There is some stability in that. And it's like, just because there's adversity and there's hardship doesn't mean that I'm going to dip set, which is, is that another trick? Oh, he's gone. Another trendy word, right? So here's what this starts to look like as you kind of play these two lifestyles out. The one who chooses to build his house on the rock, the one who chooses to build his house on the sand, you really start to see, over time, the difference, right? The contrast between the two. And it takes some time sometimes. I think if you have a small sample size in terms of time, you may not notice that much of a difference. But over the course of time, it will be very obvious that one person, the wise person, is living for something that matters. They're living with purpose. They're living for something bigger than themselves. They're living for something that's actually going to have some lasting value. On the other hand, you got the person who builds their life on the sand and they're just living for the next thing. They're living for the moment. They're living for the feels, right? And that is not, that is, I'm just going to help you out. That is not a way to live your life. Do you notice how, this is interesting, this is the last correlation we're going to make kind of between the two groups. And I think it's, it's one of the most important. Do you notice how each of the groups described, the wise man, the foolish man, both of them, the rains descended, the floods came, the wind blew and beat upon that house. Happened to the, the man who built his house on the, the firm foundation happened to the man who built his house on the sand, but there were two completely different outcomes. What does it say for the man who built this house on the rock? It says the rains came, the rains descended, the floods came, the wind blew and beat on his house. But because it was built on this firm foundation, because it was built on the rock, it stood. On the other hand, the one who built his house on the sand, what happened to him? The rains descended, the floods came, the winds blew and beat on his house and it fell. And it doesn't stop there. It doesn't say it just fell. And it says, and great was its fall. Here's my hope. This is my prayer for us as followers of Jesus, people that come to this church who, who as a community, we are aspiring to live a wise life and build our house on the rock. Just make, make all of these principles a routine, a staple in your life. Hear the words of Jesus, like whatever that looks like, man, if you've got a rhythm where, where you do devotionals and you get into God's word, man, that's amazing. Keep it up. If you don't, that is a great place to start. Be in environments where you're hearing the words of Jesus, but not just picking and choosing. I had an old pastor friend and he's like, some of y'all, not us, other people, other churches, other parts of the world. He was like, some of y'all are like Piccadilly Christians. And y'all don't, does anybody remember Piccadilly? Used to be in the Longview mall, like right when you walked into the right, but that was in the eighties. So disregard that reference, right? But it was a buffet. And what would you do with the buffet? You just go, Ooh, I want some of that. Do not want any of that. And I think that's kind of the tendency sometimes, isn't it? It's like, Oh, we love this Jesus that's meek and mild in this Jesus that's love and rainbows and light. But when Jesus starts telling us these hard teachings that then we have to change our life to fit into his words, not get his words to fit into our life. It gets a little more complicated, right? Build your, hear his words, hear his words, all of them and do them and do them, not just have the information, but experience transformation in your life and then get about building the life, man. Go do that thing. Go, go build your life, build your family, build your legacy, using the principles, the teachings, the words of Jesus, always as the foundation. And here's what's so beautiful about that. It is, it is transcend everything that you do. Every facet of your life should have these principles, these teaching teachings and these ways of Jesus. And that's what we should be about is building our life, building our house on the rock. It is a wise way to build your house, build your house on the rock. It is good for your soul. Amen. It's a good time to say like, Amen. Amen. Let me pray for us. Jesus, thank you so much for, this is not an easy teaching to be honest. I get scared to think that we can hear your words. We can know your words. We can be in church. We can know scripture and still be like the foolish person who builds our house on the sand. God, God helped that not to be any of us. God help us as the book of James says to be not hearers only, but doers also. Father, we don't want to just know your words that we have information. God, we desperately want to experience transformation. God, I want my life to be different because I hear your words. When I hear your words, I know your heart. And when I know your heart, I can't help but be changed. God, give me the wisdom to see the areas that I'm resistant, that I'm hesitant, that I try to make your words fit my life, not my life fit your words. Father, and give me the courage to change what needs to be changed. The humility got to break off whatever needs to be broken off. And Father, in your grace, I know that you'll do that. It says that if we ask, if we seek, if we knock, you're there, you're willing and you're able. So Father, we thank you so much for that this morning. Help us to be people who are wise, Jesus, who build our house on the rock and have this stability, this resilience in our soul. It's in Jesus name we pray. Amen.

What are the dangers of false teachers, and how can we recognize them? What is the danger of false faith, and how can we be sure ours is genuine? Rob McGruder examines Matthew 7:15-23

This summer we have journeyed through the Sermon on the Mount, slowing down to sit with the words of Jesus and discover The Way That Leads To Life: a life rooted in the love of God, formed by the wisdom of God, and lived in the freedom of God.Each Monday morning, we've released a companion podcast episode that invites you to slow down and sit with the words of Jesus through a guided Scripture reading and reflection on that week's passage from the Sermon on the Mount.This week, we will end this series, contemplating Matthew 7:13-29. For more information, head to www.portcity.church/theway.

Why do we worry? Is there something wrong with us as Christians when we do? Does Jesus truly care about our worry and anxiety? Pastor Jason breaks down Jesus' words in Matthew 6 and reveals why He tells us not to worry, how deeply He cares about what weighs on us, and how we can learn to trust our Heavenly Father.Messages, teaching and encouragement from Pneuma Life Church pastors and leaders! Pneuma Life Church is a spirit-filled and bible-based church located in Saint Johns, Florida. It's lead by Pastors Jason & Jessica Huffman. Join us live (and online) for services each Sunday at 10AM4100 Race Track Rd. (Durbin Creek Elementary) Saint Johns, FL 32259 Visit us online at: https://pneumalife.churchEmail: hello@pneuma.life 

Jesus calls Himself the Way, the Truth, and the Life. Matthew 5:33-36 shows us that our living as people of truth matters to Jesus. It's the life to which we are called. In Ecclesiastes 5:1-5, King Solomon emphasizes this idea, sharing wisdom given him by God about making vows to God, and the truth is we would all do well to listen more, let our actions speak, and fear God. Click here for message notes.Click here for the discussion questions for this episode. Find us on:YouTube: YouTube.com/TheHarborInstagram: Instagram.com/TheHarbor_lifeFacebook: Facebook.com/TheHarbordotlifeWebsite: https://www.TheHarbor.lifeWatch/listen on The Harbor AppNew episode every week!

This Week's EpisodeThe easy path is popular, but only one road leads to life. Real discipleship isn't trendy, it's about transformation through faithfulness and grit.

Packinghouse's Sunday evening worship service from August 9, 2026. Pastor Rick begins the Sermon on the Mount by looking at the first four Beatitudes and what they reveal about a life lived under the rule of Jesus. Being poor in spirit means recognizing our need for God, mourning means grieving over sin, meekness means surrendering our will to the Lord, and hungering and thirsting for righteousness means desiring what God desires. Together, these Beatitudes show a progression of drawing closer to Jesus as we recognize our need, confess our sin, surrender our plans, and allow Him to change our hearts. The message encourages us to keep looking to Jesus and let our hearts and lives increasingly line up with Him. - Rick Cornejo - Sunday, August 9, 2026

People use religion it to feel superior, or to protect their position. The name and rituals remain. But the love is gone. "What passes as Christianity is a negation of the Sermon on the Mount." Gandhi wasn't rejecting Jesus — he was rejecting what had been done in his name. Something starts with a genuine God experience, rooted in love. Over time it gets warped — In this episode Raghunath and Kaustubha explore that pattern across traditions alongside Srimad Bhagavatam's telling of Aristiaura, a shapeshifter adopting the form of Dharma but sent to kill. Srimad Bhagavatam 10.36.1-10 ******************************************************************** LOVE THE PODCAST? WE ARE COMMUNITY SUPPORTED AND WOULD LOVE FOR YOU TO JOIN! Go to https://www.wisdomofthesages.com WATCH ON YOUTUBE: https://youtube.com/@WisdomoftheSages LISTEN ON ITUNES: https://podcasts/apple.com/us/podcast/wisdom-of-the-sages/id1493055485 CONNECT ON FACEBOOK: https://facebook.com/wisdomofthesages108 *********************************************************************

Send us Fan MailWhat if the path to a truly flourishing life begins by admitting how much we need God? Jesus opens the Sermon on the Mount with a surprising invitation: come with empty hands, surrender your self-sufficiency, and discover the riches of His Kingdom.HOME | PLAN YOUR VISIT | BLOG | DIGITAL BULLETIN

Jesus teaches that life in the Kingdom of God is different because He is our King, and we are called to live according to His Word, values, and mission. As followers of Christ, we are called to be the “salt of the earth” by creating a thirst for God, preserving what is good, and helping point others toward the gospel. We are also called to be the “light of the world” by boldly living out our faith, serving others, and allowing our good works to point people to Jesus rather than keeping our faith hidden.

The Blessed Life According to the Son | Part 6Blessed are the MissionalMatthew 4:17, 23-25, 5:1-16 | King's Chapel Live StreamWhat does it mean to live as a citizen of God's Kingdom?Jesus doesn't simply tell His followers to try harder or do more. He tells them who they already are."You are the salt of the earth.""You are the light of the world."In this message from the Sermon on the Mount, we conclude our Beatitudes series by discovering that every follower of Christ has been called to live on mission. Because we belong to Jesus, we are sent into the world to preserve what is good, point people to the truth, and reflect the light of Christ wherever He has placed us.Our mission is not to draw attention to ourselves. Jesus tells us to let our light shine so that others may see our good works and give glory to our Father in heaven.At King's Chapel, we summarize this calling in two simple phrases:For the GLORY of our Great God.For the GOOD of our Neighbor.If you have ever wondered how to faithfully represent Christ in your home, workplace, neighborhood, or community, this message is an encouraging reminder that God has already made you salt and light through the Gospel. Now, go and live on mission for His glory.Connect with King's Chapel in Longwood, FL - ▶️ www.kingschapelfl.com▶️ https://www.facebook.com/KingsChapelfl▶️ https://www.instagram.com/kingschapelfl/For the GLORY of our Great GodFor the GOOD of our NeighborMatthew 5:13-16 sermon, salt and light sermon, Sermon on the Mount, Christian mission, live on mission, light of the world Bible, Gospel-centered living, Great Commission sermon, King's Chapel Longwood FL

In week two of The Blessed Life series, we dive into Jesus' famous Sermon on the Mount and explore the first three Beatitudes found in Matthew 5:1-5. While the world often defines blessing through success, comfort, and status, Jesus completely redefines what it means to be blessed.Jesus begins His teaching not with a list of things to accomplish, but with a declaration of what is true: “Blessed are…” The Beatitudes are not a checklist we use to earn God's love—they are the evidence of a heart that has already been transformed by Him.In this message, we explore:What it means to be “poor in spirit” and recognize our complete dependence on GodWhy mourning over our sin and a broken world leads us to true comfort through the Holy SpiritHow biblical meekness is not weakness, but strength surrendered to GodWhy the greatest blessing is not what God gives us, but being found and saved in HimThe blessed life is not a life without hardship. It is a life where the King Himself is our portion. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

What does it really mean to be blessed?As we begin our new series, Blessed?, Pastor Dale Oquist walks through the opening of Jesus' Sermon on the Mount and explores one of His most surprising statements:"Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven."The Beatitudes turn our understanding of blessing upside down. Jesus isn't giving commands or describing virtues to achieve. He's extending an invitation and making a promise to those who feel broken, overlooked, weary, and in need of hope.The Kingdom of God isn't reserved for those who have it all together. It's for those who know they don't.In this message, you'll discover:- Why the Beatitudes are an invitation, not a list of commands- What Jesus meant by "poor in spirit"- How God's Kingdom is radically different from the values of our culture- Why brokenness becomes the doorway into God's Kingdom- How hope is found in God's promises, even during life's hardest seasons- Why your past doesn't have to determine your future- How Jesus welcomes the overlooked, hurting, and weary into His Kingdom

I interviewed Caleb Owens recently. His class starts this Wednesday, on the Sermon on the Mount. Jesus's Sermon on the Mount was perhaps the most important biblical inspiration for Dorothy Day, Leo Tolstoy, and others who developed Christian pacifism and direct action/mutual aid. … More Join Our Four-Part Series on the Sermon on the Mount, Starting Aug. 12

Pastor David continues our series through The Sermon on the Mount with his exposition of Matthew 5:31-32.(V31) THE ANCIENT ISSUE OF DIVORCE;(Matthew 5:27-30),Deuteronomy 24:1-4,Matthew 19:3-9,Mark 10:6-9(V32) THE DIVINE MEANING OF MARRIAGE.Hebrews 13:4,Ephesians 5:31-33,(*Genesis 2:24),Mark 10:9Second London Baptist Confession,Chapter 25, Paragraphs 1 & 2

By Troy Phelps - Speaker: Troy Phelps Date: 8/8/26 Continuing through the Beatitudes, this sermon examines what it means to hunger and thirst for righteousness, to become merciful, and to be pure in heart. These teachings reveal Christ's call to a life of transformation—allowing God, through His Spirit, to shape our

You'll never find lasting satisfaction if you're feeding your soul with the wrong things.This week on The Connecting Podcast, Paul and Shelby explain that every person is driven by deep spiritual hunger, and true joy is found only when we hunger and thirst for God's righteousness instead of the empty promises of this world.For more episodes of The Connecting Podcast, visit PaulTripp.com/Connecting.

Send us Fan Mail  In today's episode, we discuss Jesus' teaching in Matthew 5:25-32, beginning with how reconciliation is an urgent thing because unresolved anger leads to divine judgment. Then we tackled the topic of adultery which took us to lust and the sin of coveting. We then move on to the topic of divorce, emphasizing that God hates “the putting away,” of divorce because it results in adultery. We stress God's original design for marriage and the seriousness of breaking covenant vows. Every person needs to tune in to study God's Word with us today, so, come on!

Hey, Beyond Sunday listeners! Today, we're joined by Noah Martin for a deeper dive into his sermon on Matthew 7:13-23 from this past Sunday. Join us throughout the summer as we journey back through the Sermon on the Mount as a church body!

In this episode of The Bible Explained, Garett joins Jenn to discuss the last bit of James. Garett shares his insights on the importance of perseverance, repentance, and the role of elders in the church. The theme of the judge standing at the door, referencing the prophets who called people to repentance, including Job, who endured suffering and persevered in his faith. The importance of honesty and integrity in one's words, referencing Jesus' Sermon on the Mount, where He teaches to let one's yes be yes and one's no be no. Are wedding vows wrong since Jesus tells us not to make vows? The role of elders in the church, specifically in praying for the sick and anointing them with oil. Garett shares his experience as an elder, highlighting the importance of a healthy prayer life and the need to direct one's prayers towards the things that truly matter. Jenn and Garett conclude by discussing the importance of calling others to repentance and the need to turn away from the error of one's way. Related Episodes: 2 Corinthians 12:1-10 - The Thorn In The Flesh Luke 8:40-56 (From Christ) - Can Faith Heal Nowadays? Acts 27:27-44 (From Christ) - Does Prayer Work? Click all these links from P40: YouTube - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Hnh-aqfg8rw Ko-Fi - https://ko-fi.com/p40ministries Website - https://www.p40ministries.com Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/p40ministries Contact - jenn@p40ministries.com Books - https://www.amazon.com/Jenn-Kokal/e/B095JCRNHY/ref=aufs_dp_fta_dsk Merch - https://www.p40ministries.com/shop YouVersion - https://www.bible.com/reading-plans/38267-out-of-the-mire-trusting-god-in-the-middle Check out LifeAudio for other faith-based podcasts on parenting, studying Scripture, and more:www.lifeaudio.com Need help memorizing Scripture? Check out Verse in the Chorus: https://www.youtube.com/@VerseintheChrous Become a member to gain access to The Bible Explained on Fridays: https://ko-fi.com/p40ministries Support babies and get quality coffee with Seven Weeks Coffee https://sevenweekscoffee.com/?ref=P40 Discover more Christian podcasts at lifeaudio.com and inquire about advertising opportunities at lifeaudio.com/contact-us.

Jesus begins the Sermon on the Mount by announcing that God's Kingdom has arrived through Him and inviting everyone to become part of it by surrendering to Him as King. The Beatitudes are declarations of God's blessing and an invitation into His Kingdom, not a list of rules or behaviors required to earn salvation. The true blessed life is found through faith in Jesus, whose grace—not our good works—brings us into God's Kingdom and transforms how we live.

People who would never set foot in a church are saying they believe Jesus's Sermon on the Mount, skeptics who reject the resurrection will defend the ethics of Jesus, and across the internet people are fascinated by the Nephilim, the Antichrist, and the Book of Enoch. Michael Horton, Bob Hiller, Walter Strickland, and Justin Holcomb look into the phenomenon of secular interest in the Bible and why it almost always ignores the gospel. FREE DOWNLOAD OF JUSTIFICATION & SANCTIFICATION  A clear introduction to justification and sanctification. Learn how Protestants and Catholics differ on the gospel and why it matters. FOLLOW US YouTube | Instagram | X/Twitter | Facebook | Newsletter WHO WE ARE Sola Media serves today's global church by producing resources for reformation grounded in the historic Christian faith. For over thirty-five years, Sola has walked alongside Christians in their faith, pointing away from novelty and ourselves, and toward Christ and his gospel as proclaimed in the Scriptures, articulated in the ancient Christian Creeds, and summarized in the confessions of the Protestant Reformation. Learn more: https://solamedia.org/