Christ Community Chapel (Audio)

The Way of the Kingdom - The Wise and Foolish Builder

As Jesus wraps up the Sermon on the Mount in Matthew 7:13-14, he says to "enter through the narrow gate, for wide and broad is the road that leads to destruction, and many enter through it. But small is the gate and narrow the road that leads to life, and only a few find it." Jesus isn't talking about a physical city gate, but rather the path to Heaven... And he means that we aren't all simply going to end up in Heaven by believing whatever we want in life or trying to earn our way in. While some might say this view on salvation is "narrow minded," in this case, "narrow" is exactly what we're looking for. It is trust in God's grace alone through Jesus' sacrifice that leads us to eternal life, not trust in our own good works. Repent and be saved, and just like anyone else, you too can enter through Heaven's narrow gate.

The Way of the Kingdom - Treasure

In Matthew 6:1-18, Jesus tells a crowd to avoid being like "the hypocrites" who give, pray and fast publicly, as they are trying to gain other people's attention and approval, rather than God's. You might think this guidance is simple to follow, but is it really? Do you ever pray templated prayers, talking at God, rather than to him? Do you ever find yourself giving generously but wishing more people knew about it? Do you ever treat a relationship with God as a means to an end, using him to get what you want versus engaging with him for the joy of doing so? Chances are good that you can answer yes to one of these, or at least a similar question. We all can, as sinners. But if we are mindful to put God's glory first and realize there is nothing he isn't willing to do for us, we just might become more content with following him for the sake of his love.

In Matthew 5:43-46, we hear Jesus say to love our enemies and pray for those who persecute us. It seems counterintuitive, and it's meant to be, as it allows us to stand out and show others how God has empowered us to live differently than most. That still doesn't make it easy though. This week, we hear Tom Randall explain how he has faced adversity throughout his life - from the basketball courts of urban Detroit to a crowded prison in the Philippines. Through it all, he has found the strength to love his enemies with God's help, and as a result, he's been able to bring more people to Christ than he ever could have otherwise. It's a great reminder that whether we can change the hearts of others or not, we can definitely change our own hearts by loving our enemies.

God designed marriage as a sacred union that was to be broken only in the rarest of circumstances. Due to sin's entry into our world, however, that stable, lasting form of unity has seldom been the norm. In the Old Testament, we saw Moses mandate certificates of divorce be issued to a woman whose husband found fault with her, allowing for remarriage. During Jesus' teaching, however, he clarified that divorce should only occur when sexual immorality has taken place... and that those who remarry after a divorce was conducted for any other reason are committing adultery. Are we treating our marriages the way Jesus commanded today, in an age where divorce is often viewed as "normal?" Or, as in the age of Moses, are we breaking God's sacred unions for many reasons that exceed the parameters outlined by Jesus? In this week's sermon, we hear about the importance of recognizing God's intentions for lasting marriages, seeking reconciliation in our relationships, and repenting when we find ourselves living outwardly holy lives, yet also living with sinful hearts.

God designed marriage as a sacred union that was to be broken only in the rarest of circumstances. Due to sin's entry into our world, however, that stable, lasting form of unity has seldom been the norm. In the Old Testament, we saw Moses mandate certificates of divorce be issued to a woman whose husband found fault with her, allowing for remarriage. During Jesus' teaching, however, he clarified that divorce should only occur when sexual immorality has taken place... and that those who remarry after a divorce was conducted for any other reason are committing adultery. Are we treating our marriages the way Jesus commanded today, in an age where divorce is often viewed as "normal?" Or, as in the age of Moses, are we breaking God's sacred unions for many reasons that exceed the parameters outlined by Jesus? In this week's sermon, we hear about the importance of recognizing God's intentions for lasting marriages, seeking reconciliation in our relationships, and repenting when we find ourselves living outwardly holy lives, yet also living with sinful hearts.

The Way of the Kingdom - Desire and Faithfulness

The Way of the Kingdom - Desire and Faithfulness

As Jesus continues his Sermon on the Mount, we are presented with an increasingly troubling look at the human condition. Jesus says that only those who are more righteous than the Pharisees - notorious for their stringent adherence to the law - will gain access to the kingdom of heaven. And as if that wasn't hard enough, Jesus raises the standard! Following the letter of the law isn't enough; the spirit behind it matters, and inner transformation and heart change towards God and others are just as important as external obedience. But isn't this an impossible task? Thankfully, we're not on our own. Jesus is in the business of reconciliation, and even though our relationships with God and people get broken by our inability to meet God's standards, Jesus repairs those rifts on the cross and makes forgiveness and restored relationships possible.

As Jesus continues his Sermon on the Mount, we are presented with an increasingly troubling look at the human condition. Jesus says that only those who are more righteous than the Pharisees - notorious for their stringent adherence to the law - will gain access to the kingdom of heaven. And as if that wasn't hard enough, Jesus raises the standard! Following the letter of the law isn't enough; the spirit behind it matters, and inner transformation and heart change towards God and others are just as important as external obedience. But isn't this an impossible task? Thankfully, we're not on our own. Jesus is in the business of reconciliation, and even though our relationships with God and people get broken by our inability to meet God's standards, Jesus repairs those rifts on the cross and makes forgiveness and restored relationships possible.

Jesus' most famous sermon, the Sermon on the Mount, starts off with the Beatitudes - a collection of statements often viewed as proverbs but which actually describe a series of steps leading a person into the kingdom of heaven and then guiding how they live in that kingdom. Along this journey, one begins to understand the truth about themselves, about others and about God, all while being transformed in these relationships as well.

Smartphones have applications - or apps - that are designed for a specific function or purpose. In a sense, the church has a kind of app that hasn't changed in 2,000 years: people interacting with people... people having an impact on the community outside of physical church walls. Jesus told his disciples a parable of a master who entrusts three of his servants with money to invest while he is away. In a similar way, God has entrusted us with money, skills, time, etc. of differing amounts to invest in and further his kingdom. It is through this investment that we are the app of the church. How will you live out the app of the church?

When we think of a "kingdom", we usually think of a place... but the kingdom of God is more like a force for change that works within people than a physical location. In Matthew 13: 31-33, Jesus explains this by relating the kingdom of God to a mustard seed or yeast - something small and subtle, but which has the ability to slowly create enormous change. Like an acorn that holds the power to cover the entire planet with trees given enough time, the kingdom of God works within us through a million small changes, rather than an explosion of growth. The power of the kingdom should not be underestimated however. In the same way that a mustard seed can someday grow into a plant capable of breaking through concrete, God's power within us is enough to overcome the immense difficulties of life. And in the same way that yeast works its way gradually through a whole lump of dough, the power of God within us can create drastic (positive) change within us as we gradually transition towards the person Jesus created us to be.

In Matthew 13:24-30, Jesus tells a story of a farmer who sowed good wheat seed in a field but found one morning that enemies had come in the night and sowed weeds among the crop. He told his servants not to gather the weeds immediately for risk of pulling up immature grain, but to wait to separate the wheat from the weeds at the harvest. Soon after telling this parable, Jesus explains to his disciples that the wheat and weeds represent people and that the true believers (wheat) will be gathered by the master while non-believers (weeds) will be cast into eternal flame. This week, Tom Randall explains how it isn't always clear who is "wheat" and who is a "weed" in life. Some people may think or say they are following Jesus when they aren't actually walking in faith. Through his trademark mix of far-ranging, engaging stories, Tom explains how we should be willing to examine our lives to ensure we're on the right path so that we can positively influence those around us too.