Our words are not just important, but powerful. Proverbs tells us that there is life and death in the power of the tongue. So what we say matters! And Jesus brings some correction to how people had been interpreting and using the law of Moses to their own advantage. Vows aren't bad, but if you make them, you have to stick with them. Better to not make a vow and not have a promise you can break!

God did not intend for people to suffer heartache in their marriages. God did not intend for marriages to fall apart. Marriage is one of the greatest blessings on this earth. But for the best marriage to happen, we have to be healthy, whole, and following Jesus.

I don't know if I've met anyone that doesn't deal with these simple, yet potentially devastating issues: Anger & Revenge. Jesus, in the Sermon on the Mount challenges both of these. Anger and revenge start in the heart, but lead to so much more, and Jesus came that we would experience life, not death.

In this first week of a new series, we are going to be looking at what Jesus says about the law and what we should focus on when it comes to the law and righteousness.

Join us as John shares a word that he's got on his heart!

Today we celebrate our risen Savior and King, Jesus Christ, who declared, as he hung on the cross, “It is finished!”

As Jesus entered the city of Jerusalem, just a few days before the people would be shouting at the top of their lungs, "Crucify Him! Crucify him!", they praised, "Behold, Jerusalem, Your king is coming to you! Humble, riding on a donkey!" How drastically things changed. This king, willing to lay down his life, had come for the salvation of all mankind.

No one likes going through hard times, or dealing with people treating them differently. And sometimes we get ourselves into those situations, and other times it's like Jesus said, the world won't understand why we follow Him, and because of that, they will persecute the church. Sure, we've all done things we shouldn't have that got backlash, but what about when we are doing everything right, and we are treated poorly because of that?

Jesus said that those who make peace are blessed. He also said that it was a clear sign that they are the sons of God. He who is the Prince of Peace, leads us into a life of peace, for the purpose of creating peace around us. But the question is, do we have peace?

How does our heart affect our actions? What is the connection? Scripture tells us that out of our hearts flow all things, both evil and good. That a good heart can't produce bad fruit, and a bad heart can't produce good fruit. So our heart is very important.

When bad things happen to us we have a choice to make, do we give mercy, or demand justice? Karma might sound like it is the better option, but Jesus had a better way, "Blessed are those who are merciful..." the end result? We will also receive mercy when we mess up.

Jesus didn't call us to follow a set of rules, he calls us to follow Him. Jesus himself had a hunger and thirst for righteousness, and he calls us to the same as we become more like him. To do what is right, out of our love for, and for the sake of the One who is righteous!

In the third beatitude Jesus calls us to be like him, meek. He would later say that he is lowly and gentle of heart. Meek, gentle, humble. They all call us to a different way of living. The Jesus way!

In the first words of Jesus in the Sermon on the Mount he challenges the people to ask if they recognize that they need something. They need Him. They need the Messiah. And he's come to give them the Kingdom. He's come to teach them how to live.

In our first week of a new series, Be Like Jesus, we are looking at the "Beatitudes" found in Matthew 5:2-12. Jesus first challenges what it means to be blessed. People had a warped ideology of blessing. Through this teaching he also leads people to life by inviting them to have a different perspective, even in the midst of difficult times.

In one of his first teachings, Jesus says that we are both salt and light. But what does he mean? And why is he saying it that way? As we continue to establish the foundation of the Kingdom of God and our place in it, we look at Matthew 5:13-16 and the connection it has with Paul's encouragement that we are Ambassadors of Christ.

As we lay out our journey for this year, we are looking at Jesus' words from Matthew 5-7, what is traditionally called, "The Sermon on the Mount". This series of short teachings was Jesus' way of explaining what life was to look like under this new 'rule and reign' of the Kingdom of God. The Messiah hadn't come with an army to overthrow the nations of the world and force them to follow, he gives all people the invitation to follow him as he leads us as the Good Shepherd.

The beginning of the year seems like it's a good time to set things in order, do a personal inventory of how we are doing, and make a choice to do what we can to move forward in our lives. Does our relationship with God need the same? In our discipleship to Jesus, are we doing what He's called us to do? And if not, how can we fix that?

John 3:16 is clear, Jesus came for the sake of love. Everything God does comes out of love because God is Love. Not love like we often define it in this world, but love as only God can define and give. And our lives are meant to receive that love, so we can live with that kind of love for others.

The angel said to the shepherds that he was bringing them good news that would be great joy to all the world. Everyone! But what is this good news? And how does it bring great joy? Sure, we are happy that Jesus is born, but is it more than just happy for a moment? Jesus being born means more than just being happy!