Hard Sayings of Jesus
A Third Door
July 30, 2023 • Brandon Wolters • Matthew 18:15–17
In the 1st century, the only two doors you could take in resolving relational conflict were fight or flight. Fast forward to our cultural moment, the 21st century, and nothing has changed. What if there was a radical third door you could enter regarding relational conflict? Would you be willing to open that door and walk in? Join us Sunday as we look at another hard saying of Jesus in which He invites us to enter through the third door: Peacemaking.
One Single-Minded Pursuit
July 23, 2023 • Brandon Wolters • Luke 19:1–10
“Not all who wander are lost.” Is that true? This Sunday, we will dive into a hard saying of Jesus that is easy to understand and simple to live out, yet we’ve complicated it. What’s the remedy? Join us as we unpack this saying together.
Follow Me
July 16, 2023 • Brett Posey • John 21
Peter, one of Jesus’s disciples was no stranger to the ministry of Jesus and the miracles He preformed, yet Peter continued to struggle being focused on His Teacher’s call to follow Him. So many times in our own lives, like Peter, we find ourselves wanting to be used by Christ. However, when Christ does call us to follow Him, we are quick to point out all the reasons we can’t, or worse, point out all the other people who don’t. Sunday we will explore another example of when Peter reminds us of the struggle to live out the simple but hard saying of Jesus “Follow Me”.
Forgiving From The Heart
July 2, 2023 • Richard Price • Matthew 18:21–35, Matthew 6:12
When someone truly harms us, socially, emotionally, physically, or financially, it can be very hard to forgive them, even when we perhaps know we should. But we are often confused about what forgiveness really means. Others insist that forgiveness is just a way to let perpetrators get away with the harm they have caused, just to harm us (or others) again. So why forgive? Doesn’t that make us even more vulnerable to harm and being taken advantage of?
What, Love them?!
June 25, 2023 • Richard Price • Matthew 22:37–40, Matthew 5:43–48
Many people like the idea of loving our neighbors. It sounds so. . . nice. It’s the decent thing to do, right? But loving our enemies, those who despise us, who look down on us, who want to take away our way of life, that can’t be right, right? What could Jesus be getting at, what practically could this mean? Matthew 5:27-30.
The Heart Of The Matter
June 18, 2023 • Jason Hess • Ezekiel 36:26, Matthew 5:27–30
Have you ever heard someone ask, “How far is too far?” What drives that question? And how does that question reveal a massive problem? We invite you to join us in this installment of “The Hard Sayings of Jesus” as our guest speaker, Jason Hess, helps us to see, “The Heart of the Matter,” from Matthew 5:27-30.
I Will Build My Church
June 4, 2023 • Brett Posey • Matthew 16:13–20
As we continue to explore the hard sayings of Jesus, this week we will take a closer look at Matthew 16. Peter declares Jesus as the Messiah, the Son of the living God, and at first glance appears to receive the keys to heaven for his right answer. But with a deeper look, we recognize that all the disciples including Peter and even Judas, can’t comprehend the mission Jesus is calling them on. How often do we relate to the disciples bold, yet misplaced, declarations of who Christ is, only to discover we are seeking our own agenda?
The Original Hard Saying of Jesus
May 28, 2023 • Jonathan Price • John 6:52–56
Jesus taught may things, but few were as strange as commanding us to eat his flesh and the drink his blood. What does all of this mean? Come and find out how and why Jesus offers us true nourishment in a world starved for meaning.
The Hard Sayings of Jesus
May 14, 2023 • Levi Portillo • Matthew 20:1–16
That's not fair! Surely you have either said that or heard someone else say that before! We want life to be fair, but God wants something better. Let’s be like Jesus, the owner of the vineyard, and be gracious to everyone we interact with so that they may be amazed at God’s grace in us and drawn to the creator and redeemer of mankind.