The Greatest Sermon Ever
A look at the Sermon on the Mount
Do Unto Others
November 15, 2020 • Pastor Ken Cline
Pastor Ken's sermon last Sunday, "Do Unto Others", struck a chord with me. The first half of Matthew chapter 7, which continues the Sermon on the Mount, focuses on our relationships with each other and the world. And in this chapter is one of the most misused verses in the Bible: "Judge not, that you be not judged..." God is not calling us to not judge and discern—we do need to be able to discern what is good and holy—but to be careful as the rest of the verse cautions, because we will be judged with the judgement that we pronounce. It has been aptly observed that by this point in the Sermon on the Mount, no one listening to Jesus's words seriously would feel like judging anyone else, anyway. With so much chaos, sin, and vitriol in the country today in the wake of the election and divisive rhetoric surrounding other crucial issues, it's easy to get sucked into going beyond judging what is good and holy and starting to judge people, to the neglect of observing my own interior life. There is enough work for me to remove the planks in my eye, that I am at no risk of becoming bored enough to need to find specks in my brothers' and sisters' eyes. So let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be acceptable in your sight, O LORD, my rock and my redeemer.
Giving Builds Faith
November 8, 2020 • Pastor Ken Cline
Pastor Ken’s sermon this week was on the spiritual tool of giving, given to us for the purpose of maturing us into spiritual adults. That’s right, the invitation to give is itself a gift. It keeps us grateful, keeps us humble, stretches our faith, and keeps our focus on what counts: God’s great generosity towards us in Jesus and beyond. Scripture says “For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.” I think you can turn that around and say “Where you want your heart to be, there place your treasure.” Have you ever noticed how the things you value are the things which cost you, not those that are free? Can you agree the you’re more likely to finish an online course you paid for over one that was free? Or that you’re more likely to take away value from the retreat you paid for over the one that cost you nothing? Your heart follows your treasure. Generosity is not only an overflow of a grateful heart, but is itself a tool to keep us treasuring what is truly valuable. Where you want your heart to be, there place your treasure.
Developing a Taste for God
November 1, 2020 • Pastor Ken Cline
Do you remember when you were a kid and your parents always seemed to put those gross veggies on your dinner plate? Did you respond with, “Ew! I don’t like spinach!” or, “I am NOT eating that!” I’m sure we all did at some point. But then, over time, as we grew up, we starting trying those “gross” veggies and we found out that we actually kinda’ liked them. And after a little more time, we actually craved them sometimes! (Well, ok, maybe not spinach, still!) But that’s how it works. We try new foods; our body decides that it likes them – and the nutrients that come with them – and it will start to let us know when it needs those things. All in an effort to keep us healthy and strong. This same principle applies to our spiritual lives as well. When we’re young – spiritually, physically, or both – sometimes the things of God seem unappetizing to us. “Ew! I don’t like praying!” or, “I am NOT reading that!” But just like physical food, when we start to grow up and try more “spiritual food,” we find that we actually kinda’ like it. And as we grow some more, our spirit starts to crave it – and the benefits that come with it – and it will let us know when we need those things. All in an effort to keep our spirits healthy and strong. Neat how that works, isn’t it! In today’s message, Pastor Ken shows us how to get our fill of spiritual food. Through prayer, fasting, and spending time with God, we get spiritually nourished, and it prepares us for any testing and trials that may come our way. Spend some quiet time with the Lord. Have an intimate spiritual dinner with Him. He knows exactly how you like your food prepared – and it’s delicious.
Our Father
October 25, 2020 • Pastor Ken Cline
Throughout Jesus’ life He modelled in His teaching and practice the Old Testament truth, “Man looks on the outward appearance but the Lord looks on the heart.” (1 Samuel 16:7b) This truth is the core theme of His message dubbed the Sermon on the Mount, the greatest sermon ever preached. The Jewish people, like many Christians today, were obsessed with keeping the rules of Scripture and even extra rules piled on them by the religious elite. Jesus turned those rules inside out by preaching that what a person does on the outside matters far less to God than the motives behind his behavior. Example after example He teaches a better way to live and a better way to engage with God—not through rules, but relationship. In Matthew 6, Jesus introduces a model for prayer by reminding His listeners that prayer is not meant to be a show to impress others, but a personal connection to God our Father. He teaches us to approach God in prayer as a child approaches their dad in love, respect, and childlike trust. In this message, Pastor Ken shares Six Petitions of the Lord’s Prayer that will lead you into a vibrant practice of regular communication with the One who loves you more than life itself. 1) Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name. Prayer always begins with the Father, reminding us of His holiness and our part in His family. 2) Your Kingdom come. Seeking His Kingdom reminds us that we have a Father ready to receive us. 3) Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven. Seeking His will to be accomplished on earth aligns us with His heart. 4) Give us this day our daily bread. Our conversation with God is to be an ongoing declaration of our daily dependence on Him for our well-being. 5) Forgive us our debts as we have also forgiven our debtors. A confession of our need for a Savior, the sin that separates us from God, and thanksgiving for all He has forgiven us of. 6) Lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil. A reminder that we as sheep are prone to wander from our Shepherd. Yet we desire to follow Him into His green pastures and not go our own way. As we seek to draw closer to God, we can follow the guide of the Lord’s Prayer to grow in our relationship with Him. Not only will it change the way we prayer, but it will change us.
Not of This World
October 18, 2020 • Pastor Ken Cline
Being different is usually uncomfortable. We usually try to avoid getting ourselves into uncomfortable situations, right? We don’t want to go against the flow or stand out from what culture tells us to do because it usually means doing some hard and uncomfortable things. But that is exactly what God wants us to do. In the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus tells us exactly how we, as Christians, should live and it’s pretty different than what’s going on around us. This week, Pastor Ken continued his series “The Greatest Sermon Ever,” by talking about three of the contrasts in the Sermon on the Mount: oaths, revenge, and loving your enemies. For each of these topics, there is a way the world goes about them and a way God has called us as Christians to go about them. For example, Matthew 5:43-48 talks about loving your neighbor. However, Jesus goes on to say we must love our enemies. We can’t only love the people who love us. That’s easy--everybody does that. We must stand out by loving and praying for the people that give us a hard time. It’s hard and uncomfortable. But that is living like Jesus and that will set us apart. God has sent us to be different from the world. Take some time to think about that this week. Are you different from the world? Or do you need to change your way of living to match how Jesus has called us?