“But I say to you that everyone who is angry with his brother will be liable to judgment” - Matthew 5:22 Jesus had a way of taking the obvious and flipping it. Everyone knew murder was wrong. Nobody argued that. But when He said, “You have heard it said… but I tell you,” He shifted the conversation from what we do with our hands to what we allow in our hearts. He was not just raising the standard....  Read More

“You have heard that it was said to those of old, ‘You shall not murder, and whoever murders will be liable to judgment.’ But I say to you that everyone who is angry with his brother will be liable to judgment” - Matthew 5:21-22 When you hear the word “murder,” what comes to mind? Some people might think of high-profile cases like O.J. Simpson or the Menendez brothers. Others might go further back...  Read More

“You have heard that it was said to those of old, ‘You shall not murder, and whoever murders will be liable to judgment.’ But I say to you that everyone who is angry with his brother will be liable to judgment” - Matthew 5:21-22 When people think of sin, murder usually makes the list. It is one of the most universally recognized wrongs, and even those with no faith background tend to agree on that...  Read More

“But to all who did receive him, he gave them the right to be children of God, to those who believe in his name.” – John 1:12 Some people just look the part. You know who I mean. The ones who are always upbeat, always quoting Scripture, always volunteering at church, and never seem to break a sweat. And honestly, that’s not a bad thing. We need examples of joy and faithfulness. But we also need to...  Read More

“But now, apart from the law, the righteousness of God has been revealed… The righteousness of God is through faith in Jesus Christ to all who believe, since there is no distinction.” – Romans 3:21-22 The Pharisees had rules for everything. And I mean everything. They were so committed to avoiding any chance of offending God that they wouldn’t even say His name out loud. When they wrote it, they r...  Read More

“For I tell you, unless your righteousness exceeds that of the scribes and Pharisees, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven.” – Matthew 5:20 When Jesus said what He said in Matthew 5:20 out loud, jaws would’ve hit the ground. The crowd had been raised to believe the scribes and Pharisees were the pinnacle of righteousness. If anyone was getting into Heaven, it was those guys. So for Jesus to ...  Read More

“Therefore whoever relaxes one of the least of these commandments and teaches others to do the same will be called least in the kingdom of heaven, but whoever does them and teaches them will be called great in the kingdom of heaven.” – Matthew 5:19 According to Jesus, the way we treat God’s Word matters not just now, but forever. He tells us plainly that one day, God will evaluate our lives based ...  Read More

"Sanctify them in the truth; your word is truth." – John 17:17 There is no shortage of opinions in our world today. Everywhere you look, people are sharing what they think, how they feel, and why their view is the right one. But with so many competing voices, how do you know what’s actually true?  That’s the question a young college student asked her professor on the first day of class. When the p...  Read More

“For truly I tell you, until heaven and earth pass away, not the smallest letter or one stroke of a letter will pass away from the law until all things are accomplished.” - Matthew 5:18 We live in a world that’s allergic to absolutes. The most popular belief in culture today is that truth is relative. What’s true for you doesn’t have to be true for me. Everyone gets to decide their own version of ...  Read More

“You search the Scriptures because you think that in them you have eternal life; and it is they that bear witness about me.” - John 5:39 There’s a big difference between knowing what the Bible says and knowing the God who said it. The Pharisees in Jesus’ day knew the Scriptures better than anyone. They memorized it, recited it, and even taught it. But when the Word made flesh stood right in front ...  Read More

“Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them.” - Matthew 5:17 If you claim to follow Jesus, then you should see Scripture the way He did. And Jesus never once questioned the authority of God’s Word. Not the New Testament, and not the Old either. In fact, right here in His Sermon on the Mount, Jesus makes it crystal clear. He...  Read More

“But they who wait for the Lord shall renew their strength, they shall mount up with wings like eagles” - Isaiah 40:31 Jesus didn’t call you to blend in. He didn’t rescue you just to get comfortable. He called you to live different. To live holy, to live bold, and to live with purpose in a dark and broken world. There’s a story about a duck who broke his wing on the way south for the winter. A kin...  Read More