The Find & Follow Jesus Podcast

Buck Creek Community Church

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Christianity

Presented by Buck Creek Community Church

Aug 31

Revelation 1

Revelation 1:1-20 Rev. Christopher Hall Revelation: All Things New buckcreekchurch.org SUMMARY 1. HOW IT'S SUPPOSED TO BE Ever try to explain a dream the next morning? I'm at school, except it's the John Ball Zoo, and I'm in a Godzilla costume that's more of a car, driving through Grand Rapids. In the dream it all makes sense. Out loud it's ridiculous. Welcome to the next three months. Imagine seeing into heaven, the unseen, the mysterious beyond, then trying to put words to it for people who weren't there. That's Revelation. No S. Vern Poythress says you can sum up its message in one sentence: God rules history and will bring it to its consummation in Christ. You will not understand every detail, and you don't need to. Jesus wins. That's the big idea. Revelation 1:3 says blessed is the one who reads it aloud, and blessed are those who hear and keep it. Our author is John, who bore witness to the word of God and to the testimony of Jesus. Eyewitness to the murder. Eyewitness to the resurrection. Eyewitness to the ascension, to 120 scared nobodies becoming a global church, to letters telling him his friends were being killed one by one. Now ninety years old, on a rock in the sea, cut off from the people he loved. And the audience? Us. The post-apostolic church. Blessed are those who hear, he says, not blessed are the seven churches. Revelation describes earthly events from a heavenly perspective, for you. 2. HOW WE GET IT WRONG Two ditches. Some of us are drawn to the fantastical and want charts, graphs, blood moons, and this year's antichrist. Others write the book off as too weird and check out. Both miss it. A lot of it comes down to getting the genre wrong. "Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald" is documentary history. Ask what it's about and you say, a boat sank. Bingo. "Bohemian Rhapsody" is not that. Memorable, powerful, and I have no idea what Galileo and Fandango are doing in there. Revelation is apocalyptic literature, closer to a picture book than a puzzle. Apocalyptic doesn't mean the end of everything, it means an unveiling. So let Scripture interpret Scripture. John leans on the Old Testament constantly, and where he doesn't tell us what a symbol means, he's usually pointing back there. Why lampstands? Zechariah. And verse 20 tells us straight out that the seven lampstands are the seven churches. What's not okay is running to the news to decode John. The giant locusts aren't Apache helicopters. They're Exodus and Joel. Medical students get told when you hear hoofbeats, don't expect a zebra. Same rule here. Watch the numbers too. Three is the heartbeat of the book, Father, Spirit, Son. Dragon, beast, false prophet. Seven means completeness, and it's everywhere. They're symbolic, not a census. And we get "tribulation" wrong. John calls himself our brother and partner in the tribulation. He's not describing something scheduled for later that the church gets airlifted out of. He's in prison, at ninety, after they boiled him in oil, and his friends are dead. Tribulation is any time the church suffers. Believers in China meeting in homes. Believers who could be beheaded for preaching. 3. HOW JESUS GOT IT RIGHT Then John turns around and sees Him. Hair white as snow, eyes like fire, feet like burnished bronze, voice like rushing water, a sword from His mouth, face like the sun. This is the friend he used to lean against at dinner. The Son of Thunder falls down like a dead man. And what does Jesus say? "Fear not, I am the first and the last, and the living one. I died, and behold I am alive forevermore, and I have the keys of Death and Hades." They tried to end Him and He came back holding the keys. The doors are wide open. He's the one who loves us and freed us from our sins by His blood and made us a kingdom, priests to His God and Father. "I am the Alpha and the Omega, who is and who was and who is to come, the Almighty." He's coming with the clouds and every eye will see Him. That's the star of this book. In heaven the victory is already finished. On earth we're still living the story out. 4. HOW SHOULD WE RESPOND? Fear not. Not because suffering isn't real. We know generational poverty, disease, divorce, homelessness, and we've buried people this year. Death is still fighting battles in a war it already lost. We need hope, and this is where it comes from. When I was a kid I got separated from my mom at Meijer and hid inside a circular clothes rack, which was a genius plan except for the part where nobody could find me. Not knowing if the one in charge is coming back for you is a terrible feeling. He is coming back. That changes how you live today. Deeply loved, fully forgiven, and every injustice you see is temporary. And if you're not with Him, take this series in. You'll see Jesus. John wasn't actually alone on that island. Christ was with him the whole time. I wonder how often we think we're alone while He's right there. So let's walk through this book together, trusting that God rules history and will bring it to its consummation in Christ. Jesus wins. FULL TRANSCRIPT: https://www.buckcreekchurch.com/revelation-1
Aug 12

Matthew 7:12-29 "The Path That Looks Wrong" Sermon on the Mount

The Path That Looks Wrong Rev. Christopher Hall Practicing the Way of Jesus: Sermon on the Mount buckcreekchurch.org ----more---- HOW IT’S SUPPOSED TO BE “So whatever you wish that others would do to you, do also to them, for this is the Law and the Prophets. Enter by the narrow gate. For the gate is wide and the way is easy that leads to destruction, and those who enter by it are many. For the gate is narrow and the way is hard that leads to life, and those who find it are few. Beware of false prophets, who come to you in sheep’s clothing but inwardly are ravenous wolves. You will recognize them by their fruits.… Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but the one who does the will of my Father.… Everyone then who hears these words of mine and does them will be like a wise man who built his house on the rock.… And everyone who hears these words of mine and does not do them will be like a foolish man who built his house on the sand” (Matthew 7:12–16, 21, 24, 26). Jesus ends the Sermon on the Mount with the Golden Rule: Treat others the way you want to be treated. But this sermon is not a list of religious rules. Jesus is describing a lifestyle. He gives us two gates, two paths, two trees and two foundations. One path is wide, easy and popular. The other is narrow, difficult and often lonely. Yet life is found on the narrow path because that is where Jesus is. Jesus also tells us to examine the fruit of those we follow. Do they resemble Him? Are they humble, merciful, pure and willing to sacrifice? Good fruit grows from roots planted deeply in Jesus. HOW WE GET IT WRONG The wide path looks better from the entrance. It promises pleasure without sacrifice, comfort without obedience and spirituality without a cross. False prophets offer the same thing. They talk about God and quote Scripture, but promise health, wealth, power and safety. Jesus calls them wolves. We should not condemn people or look down on them, but Jesus commands us to examine the fruit of those who lead His church. Wolves scratch, bite and devour. We should not give them our trust or a platform. The most frightening warning is directed at people who call Jesus “Lord.” It is possible to do religious things in Jesus’ name while never knowing Him. Bad fruit includes gossip, slander, selfish ambition and a trail of wounded people. We may talk about the narrow path while walking the wide one. The truth is, none of us consistently lives the Golden Rule. We look out for ourselves. We avoid difficult people. When someone wrongs us, we wait for them to make things right. Jesus tells us to go to them, forgive them, restore them and forgive them again. That sounds painful because it is. The narrow path always costs something. HOW JESUS GOT IT RIGHT Jesus allowed us to walk all over Him. The Creator stepped into His creation and allowed Himself to be rejected, mistreated and killed. He did not wait for us to find Him because He knew we never would. He came looking for us. He gave Himself for every time we chose pleasure over obedience, comfort over sacrifice and ourselves over others. Jesus lived the Golden Rule by treating us the way He deserved to be treated. When offered wealth and power, He refused. When given the choice between escaping and obeying His Father, He chose the cross. We did not take His life. He willingly gave it because that was what we needed. His narrow path led to a grave. Then He walked out of it. Jesus does not merely make bad people better. He makes dead people alive. He is not simply a teacher whose advice we may accept or reject. He is Savior and Lord. The King who possesses all authority used that authority to serve His enemies. He came to us, lived for us, died for us and rose for us. That is a King worth following. HOW SHOULD WE RESPOND? “Be doers of the word, and not hearers only” (James 1:22). If Jesus is Lord, hearing Him means obeying Him. But obedience is not how we earn His love. We obey because we have experienced it. “We love because he first loved us” (1 John 4:19). His love fills us until it overflows toward others. That love turned a ragtag group of nobodies into a movement that outlasted the Roman Empire. Not through military power, but through sacrificial love. So let’s help one another remain on the narrow path. When someone wanders, go to them. Encourage good fruit by strengthening good roots. Speak the truth in love. Let one another lean in as we stumble forward toward Jesus. Taking up a cross means dying to ourselves: less of me and more of Jesus. The Golden Rule puts others first because that is what Jesus did for us. Jesus offers two choices. Choose His path and you receive suffering and sacrifice now, but Jesus and eternal life in the end. Choose your own path and you may receive comfort and pleasure now, but eventually everything runs out. A palace built on sand still falls. Jesus offers His path or yours, a house on rock or a palace on sand. Which will you choose?
Jul 27

Matthew 7:1–6 "Judging Others"

JUDGING OTHERS Rev. Christopher Hall Practicing the Way of Jesus: Sermon on the Mount buckcreekchurch.org Christian means "little Christ." If we're little copies of the real thing, Christians should be the most forgiving, gracious, non-judgmental, kind, upright, least offendable people on earth. Should be. Of course, there's this little hiccup. Reality. We do things we don't want to do because of Jesus — He is so good, and invites us to follow His narrow path, trading our desires for His. We're made in God's image. We chose lives apart from Him instead, and deserve hell. He stepped into our neighborhood, lived a perfect life in our place, died on a Roman Cross to win us back from darkness, and walked out of His tomb offering eternal life. He forgave us, commissioned us, and loves us so deeply He will never forsake us. In response: Forgiven people forgive people. Loved people, love people. HOW IT'S SUPPOSED TO BE V1: Judge not, that you be not judged. Krino means to scrutinize, evaluate, or pronounce a verdict — don't sit on the panel deciding who is superior. We still pursue God's law and the beatitudes. But we don't get to be the judges who issue condemnation, because Jesus didn't condemn us when perfectly justified to. V2: With the judgment you pronounce you will be judged, and with the measure you use it will be measured to you. James 4:11-12: we observe behavior, assume character, categorize — and assume God agrees with us. "But who are you to judge your neighbor?" There's no integrity to that. Matthew 7:3-5 pictures a 2x4 in our own eye while we point at a sliver in someone else's: "First take the log out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to take the speck out of your brother's eye." Before you do anything beyond observing it — stop. This is pride that impairs our view of ourselves. Assume your own sins are more grievous than anything they do. HOW WE GET IT WRONG The world calls Christians "Judgmental," "Hypocritical," "Angry." Painful — and there's a kernel of truth. Judgmental is self-righteousness: making our life look better by comparing it to others'. Hypocritical: saying one thing, living another. Angry: we're harsh with fellow Christians, letting feelings drive us rather than reason. Jesus never — not once — spoke in judgment against the unrighteous sinners He ministered to. Except the self-righteous religious who abused God's message. V6: "Do not throw your pearls before pigs, lest they trample them underfoot and turn to attack you." Be prepared to be attacked — the gospel offends, and most will reject it. We'll want to write people off as "them" — that's God's job. Observing sin isn't sin. Assuming God agrees with your verdict is judging. REDEMPTION He lived perfectly for us, died for us, gives us His righteousness, adopts us into God's family, and empowers us by His Spirit. Perfectly justified to condemn us, He doesn't. He loves you. John 3:17: "God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world might be saved through Him." He did not come to condemn. He came to save. He knows the grimy secrets in your heart, yet leans in rather than stepping away in disgust — gentle with the broken and stumbling. He came to remove the 2x4 from your eye, because He adores you, as is. Confess our sin and bring it into the light. Pursue reconciliation with those you've judged, assuming you're in the wrong and Jesus is right. We're all stumbling together toward Jesus, who holds, corrects, and heals us. If anyone condemns you, know this: the God of the universe does not. He says, "You're Mine. I choose you. Warts and all. I'm making you white as snow because I forgive you." HOW DO WE RESPOND? Being a Christian isn't pretending to be good — it's admitting you're bad. Jesus came for people who are messed up. First step: tell God we're sorry for our judgments, condemnation, hypocrisy, anger. What He does TO us He desires to do THROUGH us — if He shows us grace, we're to show grace to each other. Not yet a believer? Don't be surprised when Christians mess up — grace changes how we live, but not overnight. Withhold condemnation. Lead with grace. Be humble. Forgive. People don't need another friendly church — they need friends who practice the way of Jesus. Transformation takes time. Exercise judgment, but don't condemn. Earn someone's trust before you address their sliver — time and trust build that bridge. Don't waste time on anger. Pray for them with sincere love, and remember what God has forgiven in you. 1 Corinthians 16:14: "Let all that you do be done in love." Otherwise, you're simply a loud gong. Inscribed on the wall of Mother Teresa's children's home in Calcutta: People are often unreasonable, illogical and self-centered — forgive them anyway. Be kind anyway. Succeed anyway. Be honest and frank anyway. Build anyway. Be happy anyway. Do good anyway. Give the world the best you've got anyway. In the final analysis, it is between you and your God — it was never between you and them anyway.
Apr 8

Matthew 5:17-20 "The Bacon Sermon"

THE BACON SERMON Rev. Christopher Hall Practicing the Way of Jesus: Sermon on the Mount buckcreekchurch.org Anyone here like bacon? God's people weren't allowed to eat it. Ceremonially unclean. And it smells so good. Just think of all those generations of Israelites praying for the day bacon would no longer be off limits. 1. HOW IT'S SUPPOSED TO BE God prohibited certain foods for theological reasons. Israel was holy. Set apart. Other. Their food laws echoed that truth. My people will be different. And the higher law was always love. Love God first. Love your neighbor as yourself. That has always been true. The Law had three parts. Ceremonial. Civil. Moral. Ceremonial covered the priests, sacrifices, temple, cleanliness. Including bacon. Civil covered the governing of Israel as a nation state. God Himself was their head of state. Moral covered the Ten Commandments. Murder. Theft. Lying. Sexual immorality. These reflect God's own heart. Six hundred commands. But really three types. 2. HOW WE GET IT WRONG We don't know our bibles. Our theological framework is an inch deep and a mile wide. So we get confused. Some of you couldn't play ball in the front yard on Sunday. Some watched the game at the corner bar. Some say alcohol is forbidden. Some say women have to wear head coverings. We pick and choose. The church is confused. One side champions the homeless but glosses over God's clear teaching on sexuality. The other side wants to end abortion but cringes at loving immigrants. We let culture tell us what is moral instead of Jesus. We let Hollywood tell us. Facebook. Political parties. Or we toss it all out and say God used to be mean but now it's all grace. Follow your heart. Everyone just be cool. Careful. 3. HOW JESUS GOT IT RIGHT He didn't abolish the Law. He fulfilled it. Personally. Every iota. Every dot. Jesus is our Great High Priest. Where priests mediated between God and people, Jesus mediates for us now. We pray to the Father in the name of the Son. Jesus is our sacrifice. Not livestock. His own sinless life. Sufficient to cover all sins everywhere at all times. Jesus is our temple. The glory of God was no longer found in a building. It was housed in Him. And when He ascended He sent the Holy Spirit to dwell within His people. We are now the temple. Jesus declared all foods clean. The stomach is not the problem. The heart is. And that meant more than bacon. It meant salvation is now available to all people. Jew and Gentile. That is earth shattering news. Peter got a vision on a rooftop. A sheet full of animals. Kill and eat. He resisted. The voice said do not call something unclean that God has made clean. Salvation through Jesus. For everyone. 4. HOW SHOULD WE RESPOND Eat the bacon. Or don't. Let your conscience guide you in those areas. Just don't turn your personal convictions into a law you force on everyone else. But God's moral law still stands. Murder. Lying. Sexual immorality. Non negotiable. Jesus repeated nine of the ten commandments directly. The narrow path is still narrow. The Pharisees were concerned with how they appeared before men. Clean on the outside. Dead on the inside. Jesus is not calling us to perform outward obedience. Here is the thing that blows my mind. God's hatred of sin is absolute and perfect. His love is also absolute and perfect. And somehow His love is greater than His hatred of sin. Love is the higher law. Pretending you have your stuff together? That is hypocrisy. Admitting you don't? Running to Jesus? That leads to the Kingdom. The narrow path is simple. It isn't easy. But it's simple: Gather with God's people. Pray. Read the bible. Share communion. Stumble together in the direction of Jesus. To be with Him is to be set apart. That is what holy people do. They cling to Him. They don't pretend.
Apr 8

Matthew 6:9-13 "Pray Like This"

PRAY LIKE THIS... Rev. Christopher Hall Practicing the Way of Jesus: Sermon on the Mount buckcreekchurch.org Knock knock. Listen for it. The early church is huddled up praying when there is a knock at the door. Peter was standing at the gate. Rhoda recognized his voice. In her joy she didn't open the gate. She ran in and told them. They said she was out of her mind. But Peter kept knocking. And when they opened they saw him and were amazed. Why amazed? To answer that we have to back up. 1. HOW IT'S SUPPOSED TO BE Jesus left us a framework for prayer. Matthew 6. Pray like this. Praise and worship. Gospel advancement. What we need to live. Forgiveness of sins. Protection. Deliverance. Starts with God. Ends with us. That is the framework. But Jesus also shows us the ferocity our prayers should have. Ask. Seek. Knock. Be persistent. Relentless. Steadfast. Tenacious. Ridiculously so. He is not annoyed by your relentless prayer. He loves it. Shake the tree. 2. HOW WE GET IT WRONG We pray like we're writing a letter to Santa Claus. It begins with us. Our needs. Our wants. Our problems. Our daily bread first. God's mission last. Or never. We pray intermittently. When things get bad enough. When we run out of options. As a last resort. And when God says no we assume He isn't listening. Or doesn't care. Or isn't good. 3. HOW JESUS GOT IT RIGHT Acts 12. Herod killed James. One of the Sons of Thunder. One of Jesus' closest friends. An apostle martyred. Then he arrested Peter. Four squads of soldiers. Chains on both wrists. Sentries at the door. The church? Praying. Relentlessly. Persistently. Incessantly. The night before his execution an angel smacked Peter awake. Chains fell off. Past the first guard. Past the second. The iron gate opened on its own. Like walking into Meijer. Peter went straight to where the church was gathered. Knocked on the door. Rhoda recognized his voice and left him standing at the gate. They prayed for a prison break and couldn't believe the prison break happened. That is how God's people pray. And look what happens every time in Acts. Acts 1. They pray. Holy Spirit busts in. Three thousand saved. Acts 2. They devote themselves to prayer. The Lord added to their number daily. Acts 4. They lifted their voice together. The place shook. Ten thousand believe. Acts 12. They pray. God pulls a prison break. Acts 13. They pray. God sends Paul out. Thousands of churches planted. Prayer always precedes gospel advancement. Jesus himself prayed for others. With others. Alone. Briefly. All night. Often. From the heart. With persistence. In deference to the Father's will. Father let this cup pass. The Father's answer to His perfect beloved Son. No. Jesus heard no and obeyed. Drank it down. All the way. God answering a prayer with no led to the greatest thing that ever happened in the universe. What a Savior. 4. HOW SHOULD WE RESPOND No more Santa Claus. Prayer begins with awe and praise. Then His mission. Then our daily bread and forgiveness and deliverance. Shake the tree. Be relentless. Keep knocking. Keep asking. Don't give up. He always answers. Yes. No. Not yet. He gives us what we would ask for if we knew what He knows. James was martyred. The answer was no. But God did deliver him. Directly to the side of Jesus. Better than anything life here could offer. He always answers. Often no. That doesn't change how good He is. The sermon began with knocking. It ends with it too. Jesus stands at the door and knocks. Friend, if you haven't called on Him to save you, what are you waiting for?
Mar 31

Matthew 5:27-37 "Lust, Divorce, Oaths & the Gospel"

LUST, DIVORCE, OATHS & THE GOSPEL Rev. Christopher Hall Practicing the Way of Jesus: Sermon on the Mount buckcreekchurch.org 1. HOW IT'S SUPPOSED TO BE Today's message has a lot to say to every human. But especially guys. And it's very adult in nature. You've been warned. Got it. Here's the full version with scripture included: 1. HOW IT'S SUPPOSED TO BE Any dudes here today? Cool. Anyone have a dude in their life you love? Then this is for you. Today's message has a lot to say to every human. But especially guys. So I don't want to see any droopy eyelids. God has something special for you. And it's very adult in nature. Great time to check your kiddos in with Creek Kids downstairs. You've been warned. Let's read Matthew 5:27-30. "You have heard that it was said, 'You shall not commit adultery.' But I say to you that everyone who looks at a woman with lustful intent has already committed adultery with her in his heart. If your right eye causes you to sin, tear it out and throw it away. For it is better that you lose one of your members than that your whole body be thrown into hell. And if your right hand causes you to sin, cut it off and throw it away. For it is better that you lose one of your members than that your whole body go into hell." If gouging out your eye or cutting off your hands could rid you of lust… do it. The problem is it won't. But now you see how bad sin is. Early church. Guy named Origen gets saved, hears Christ's teaching, knows he's in trouble. Goes off alone so he won't see a woman. Still lusted. Castrates himself. Still lusted. Because the problem wasn't his eyes or hands. The problem was his heart. And that is true for all of us. The super holy religious people looked to outward performance. "I didn't jump into bed with her. Commandment kept." But Jesus says the root of it all is the heart. We don't need less hands. We need a new heart. "Please God, have mercy on me. A sinner." That's what this is meant to do. Drive us to Jesus. God has always had a very high regard for sexual purity. It started in the garden. Sex was present before the Fall. That means it's good. Very good. There are three kinds of dudes: those who struggle with lust, liars, and dead guys. Sex is beautiful. It's erotic. It's captivating. So save it for the one you love. It's not just a physical act. It's spiritual. A mingling of souls. The fireplace for sex is a lifelong covenant. Until death do you part. Now let's read Matthew 5:31-32. "It was also said, 'Whoever divorces his wife, let him give her a certificate of divorce.' But I say to you that everyone who divorces his wife, except on the ground of sexual immorality, makes her commit adultery, and whoever marries a divorced woman commits adultery." He's talking to husbands. Men got rid of wives for any reason. Don't like her cooking? Certificate of divorce. Wife is ruined. Kids starving. Divorce is always meant to be a last resort. If you're married and looking for exit signs, thinking the grass is greener, you've already sinned in your heart. Read Matthew 5:33-37. "Again you have heard that it was said to those of old, 'You shall not swear falsely, but shall perform to the Lord what you have sworn.' But I say to you, Do not take an oath at all, either by heaven, for it is the throne of God, or by the earth, for it is his footstool, or by Jerusalem, for it is the city of the great King. And do not take an oath by your head, for you cannot make one hair white or black. Let what you say be simply 'Yes' or 'No'; anything more than this comes from evil." To have to swear an oath means your word alone isn't trustworthy. Why can't you just make your yes mean yes? At its heart, this is about making promises we don't keep. Jesus kept His Word. Our King is faithful. Are we people like our King? 2. NOT EVEN CLOSE: How we get it wrong Recognizing she is pretty is not lust. Wanting sex is not lust. That second look? Lust. Imagining what she looks like naked? Lust. That thing you did when nobody was looking. Lust. You think what you did was only you and that phone. Jesus says you just committed adultery. One of the Big Ten. Satan knows how powerful sex is. He makes counterfeits. Porn is a counterfeit to the beautiful covenant gift of sex between one man and his one wife. Lust leads to adultery. Adultery to divorce. Divorce means broken vows. These are connected. And nobody has clean hands here. To a holy God, lustful thoughts = adultery. Marriage vows matter. Your word is your bond. We aren't bad people because we do bad things. We do bad things because we're people with wayward, sin sick hearts. 3. REDEMPTION: How Jesus got it right Psalm 24 asks, who may ascend the mountain of the Lord? The one with clean hands and a pure heart. Because of our lust and divorce and deceit, we cannot stand in His holy place. We can't. Your sin has wrecked your own life. You know. Your sin has wrecked the lives of those you love. And it haunts you every day. Ascend the holy mountain? We don't deserve to be anywhere near the Lord. So the Lord came to us. Though He was tempted in every way, He never strayed. Beneath His hatred of sin is something deeper. His love. His love of sexual sinners. His love of those who break their vows. His love for you. The Lord didn't have to cut off His hand… but He allowed His hands to be pierced. Out of love. Your sin put nails through the perfect hands of Jesus. Yes, Jesus hates sin. But Jesus loves sinners even more. Do you believe that? The precious blood of Jesus washes us completely clean. Do you believe that? The only sin you can fight is forgiven sin. Right now, you can ask for your sins to be removed. Let's do it together. Jesus forgive me for I have sinned. Your hands are clean. My hands are filthy. Your heart is pure. Mine is not. You are faithful. I am unfaithful. You are Lord. I am a sinner in need of grace. Amen. 1 John 1:9. 4. HOW DO WE RESPOND? Your sins have just been forgiven. Now these words apply to you: clean hands, pure heart. Jesus makes that possible. You have a new heart. A new name. Holy. Saint. Child of God. Being in God's family means you love and obey Jesus. You remain faithful. You don't take that second look. Your yes means yes. It's a family tradition. When you are tempted, don't just stop doing the bad thing. Replace it with something better. Appeal to Jesus. Pray. Ask Him to help you. He will. Men, who is your standard of beauty? It needs to be your wife. Tell yourself she is beautiful. Tell her she is beautiful. Delight in her. The Holy Spirit will reorient your desires around her. She desires your whole self. Give her your time. Your attention. Listen. Be present. I can almost guarantee that leads to more of the other thing you really like. Kingdoms reflect the King. Our King is truth. Kingdom people are truthful. Kingdom people don't look for an exit. Kingdom people don't look for a loophole. Kingdom people are people of integrity. Because our King IS integrity personified.
Mar 20

Matthew 5:21-26 "Anger & Reconciliation: From Root to Fruit"

Rev. Christopher Hall Practicing the Way of Jesus: Sermon on the Mount buckcreekchurch.org The Sin Beneath the Sin Matthew 5:21–26 · Sermon on the Mount There's a federal law — Title 18, USC, subsection 1821 — that makes it a crime for non-dentists to ship dentures across state lines. Maximum sentence: one year in jail. It's a jaw-dropping law. Hasn't been enforced in decades. You could say it doesn't have any teeth. Why is that a law? I'm sure there's a story. Apart from God speaking the universe into existence, stuff doesn't just happen. Crimes don't just happen. There are dozens of decisions that lead to a crime. Under every action is a motivation. Under every motivation is a belief. We're entering a section of the Sermon on the Mount where Jesus gets to the sin beneath the sin. At the heart of it all is a lie. A lie powerful enough to keep us from entering the Kingdom of Heaven. I want to enter the Kingdom of Heaven. I assume you do too. So let's drill down. And trade that lie for truth. Turn with me to Matthew 5:21. Part 1 How It's Supposed to Be "You have heard that it was said… 'You shall not murder.'" The Pharisees and scribes knew that rule well. But Jesus raises the standard. "Don't even allow anger into your heart." That's shocking. In fact Jesus says unless your righteousness exceeds the Pharisees, you won't enter the Kingdom. These were the super-religious rule keepers. They dotted the i's. Crossed the t's. And even with all that devotion to getting it right — they were getting it wrong. So what are we supposed to do? Give up? How could anyone possibly enter the Kingdom? Knowing all the rules won't do it. Breaking all the rules won't do it. Jesus wants to shock us. God isn't a gentle old man floating on a cloud. He is holy. Completely other. His standard should shock us. And when we see it, we begin to long for the kind of life only He can give. A life where anger doesn't rule. Where hatred and hostility disappear. Jesus isn't trying to crush us. He's showing us how far we've wandered — and inviting us back. Because righteousness doesn't come from inside us. It comes from Him. When we turn to Jesus in faith, He saves us not only from the penalty of sin. He saves us from the power of sin. Part 2 How We Get It Wrong When I was young, Kent Trails was just old railroad tracks. Follow that path and you could fall one way into wild raspberries. Or the other way into poison ivy. Following Jesus' narrow path is like that. We fall off one side or the other. Some of us are rule keepers. We notice when others break the rules. We get angry. We become legalistic. Focused on appearances instead of grace. Others of us are rule breakers. We push boundaries. We're irresponsible. We rely on grace while ignoring obedience. Neither path is Jesus' path. Both are marked by anger, division, and broken relationships. When anger rules our lives, we know we've wandered from His narrow path. Part 3 How Jesus Got It Right In Jesus we see the ultimate rule keeper. He obeyed God's law perfectly. But He also broke human rules whenever they got in the way of love. Jesus wasn't ruled by anger. When they mocked Him. Lied about Him. Scourged Him. Crucified Him. There was no sinful anger. Instead there was grace. Jesus knew exactly what He was signing up for. He knew how broken we were. He knew rescuing us would cost His life. And on the cross He asks a question: Are you with Me? Are you with Me as I take the punishment for your sin? Are you with Me in the grave where your sin is buried? Are you with Me as I rise into new life? That's the gospel. Jesus' path leads from cross to grave to resurrection. And when He says "Follow Me," He's inviting us onto that path. Part 4 How Do We Respond? First: Believe God is gracious. You don't have to prove yourself. Forgiven people forgive people. Someone who truly believes they've been forgiven has no room for bitterness or unrighteous anger. Second: Live like you believe God is gracious. Who do you need to ask forgiveness from? Who do you need to pursue reconciliation with? Jesus takes relationships so seriously that He says if reconciliation needs to happen, go make it right. Even if it means leaving church to do it. Perfect obedience isn't possible. But true obedience is. So take the first step. Today. When bad fruit shows up — anger, bitterness, name-calling — don't just fix the behavior. Drill down to the root. What belief is underneath that sin? Replace the lie with truth. Because good roots produce good fruit. And the truth is simple: God is gracious. So I'll end with the same question Jesus asks: Are you with Him?
Mar 5

Matthew 5:13-16 "Salt & Light"

Rev. Christopher Hall Practicing the Way of Jesus: Sermon on the Mount buckcreekchurch.org Salt & Light — Matthew 5:13-16 This is the Amazon River in Ecuador. One of the most dangerous places on earth. Hard for humans to survive, let alone flourish. But there's a Bible institute there. We'll come back to that. Open your Bible to Matthew 5. We're in the Sermon on the Mount. Last week, the Beatitudes. Today, Jesus tells us what life in His Kingdom looks like in a broken world. "You are the salt of the earth… You are the light of the world." Before you think this was written to you personally — one guy, 48 years old, resident of Wyoming MI — gonna burst your bubble. It's written to y'all. His disciples. A people. Salt. We think flavor. A little sprinkle on your food. Nice. First century people thought preservation. Everything decays because of the Fall. Salt keeps food from rotting. Salt has preserving properties. Light. Light reveals what is true. Why do we have lights by stairs? So you can see what's actually there. Light shows what's hidden. Jesus says we ARE salt and light. Admiral Stockdale famously asked: Who am I and why am I here? I spent most of my 20s asking that same question. Sold car parts. Is this it? Worked in Lansing getting people elected. Is this it? Left politics for housing policy. Wore a suit. Drove to DC. Kept coming home wondering — is this it? Our Scripture today answers that question directly. You have a purpose. We were made to be salt and light. To preserve what's good. To push back against darkness. To reveal what is true. But here's my problem. I know my heart. I confess sin constantly. How can I be any use given how messed up I am? Remember Eden. Before the Fall, Adam was cultivating the earth. Working. Living with God. Reflecting God's beauty throughout creation. We were created for God's glory and good works. So why is Jesus having to tell us this? At the start of His ministry? Because we're not doing it. That's why. Salt sitting on a shelf does nothing. It has to be in the food. Salt as preservative has to be poured all over. Salt does no good sitting on a shelf. God's people — the original audience — had retreated. Instead of mixing it up with the broken world, pointing people back to their Creator, they turned inward. Infighting. Division. Hatred. We don't do that. Right? Here's an exercise. Name someone in your life who, apart from Jesus, makes zero sense as a friendship. Ross and I have nothing in common. Jaxson is young enough to be my son. But because of Jesus, I call them brothers. Now think outside the church. Salt needs names outside the building. Salt has to be in the food to do any good. Matthew — tax collector. Traitor. Got rich off his own people by working for Rome. Most hated man in the room. Simon the Zealot — violent revolutionary. Would've killed a tax collector for sport. Before Jesus? Enemies. In Jesus? Brothers. Apostles. In Christ's Kingdom, His people mix it up. Even with enemies. Especially with enemies. We bark at the world. We retreat from the world. Then we complain when the world does what the world was always going to do. We have tons of books and workshops on evangelism. It's like we don't know how. But if I needed to train you to talk about your kids, that would be weird. Because you love your kids. We talk about the things we love. So if we don't know how to talk about Jesus… is it really that we don't know how? Or is it something worse? Could it be we don't love Jesus all that much? Could it be we don't love other people all that much? Back to Ecuador. 1950s. A guy named Jim Elliot heard from Shell Oil there was a tribe of 2,200 people who were the most violent people they'd ever encountered. They called themselves Aucas. Savages. And they were proud of it. Jim's response? "I'm going to move my family there and tell them about Jesus." He recruited a team. They moved to the Amazon. They found the tribe. Within 24 hours, the entire team was killed. With spears. And instead of scaring Christians away from missions, Jim's martyrdom launched an entire generation into foreign missions unlike anything the church had ever seen before. But Jim isn't the hero. Jim's hero was willing to leave a place of peace and love and harmony. Where there was no death. No decay. Willing to live among people who didn't want Him. Willing to be thrown out and trampled. Willing to move toward instruments of death. Willing to trade His life to save the people who would kill Him. Jim, great guy. Inspiring story. But Jim isn't the hero. Jesus is. Why would Jesus choose a life of suffering with a Roman cross at the end? One word. ARE. Y'all ARE the salt of the earth. Y'all ARE the light of the world. Not someday after enough sanctification. Not maybe with the right coaching. You ARE. It's not something you graduate to. It was your creation identity. It's also your new creation identity. Jesus came knowing we were enslaved to sin. Decaying every second. One heartbeat closer to the grave. He came anyway. Why? Because He saw on our faces the image of God. The fingerprints of the Creator. We are His masterpiece. His prize. Jim saw that in the faces of the Waorani. And that beauty overpowered the decay. Their value wasn't in their deeds. It was in their Maker. He didn't choose us because we chose Him. We didn't. Not once. So He chose us. The question isn't "Are we salt and light?" That's who we are. The question is — are we living as salt and light? To repent and believe is to be called back to your true self. That darkness around you? It's not a reason to run. Darkness is simply the absence of light. You don't turn off darkness. You bring light. Jim was aware of the spears. I'm aware of the bullet hole in my neighbor's truck. Jesus was aware of sin. And they went anyway. The point of this passage is not BE A GOOD PERSON. The point is Jesus is GOOD. He is the only truly good person. He pursues bad people. He rescues dead people. He raises them to new life. And in response, we get to finally live into our purpose. For those of you who professed faith this morning — you are a new creation. The old you is gone. Buried in the grave. This new you, because Christ lives in you, is capable of living into this purpose. If you've been a believer for decades and realize you haven't lived into it — repent. Turn from sin. Turn back to God. The Holy Spirit is in you. You have the power to choose to live as salt and light. Some of you need to profess that truth for the first time. If you believe Jesus is Lord. If you believe you are a sinner in need of rescue. Say I believe. If you can't say it out loud, come say it to me. And don't let the salvation stop with you. What He has done to you He desires to do through you. Years after Jim was killed, his widow and his sister went back to the Waorani. They translated the Gospel of Mark into the language of the people. Some believed. Missionaries came. But the numbers were small. Then in the early 90s someone realized the problem. People flying in from another world weren't the best ones to reach people of the Amazon. You know who's best to reach someone in the Amazon? Someone who already lives there. So they started raising up leaders from within the tribe. The result? A growing church. Transformation. Reconciliation. Peace where violence once reigned. Life where decay ruled. Light where darkness was. That fruit was fertilized by the blood of Jim Elliot. That fruit was possible only because of the blood of Jesus. How is God calling you to live as salt and light today? "He is no fool who gives up what he cannot keep to gain that which he cannot lose." — Jim Elliot
03/29/2025

Matthew 5:1-12 "The Better Life"

Rev. Christopher Hall Practicing the Way of Jesus: Sermon on the Mount Recorded September 15, 2024 at Buck Creek Community Church buckcreekchurch.org HOW IT'S SUPPOSED TO BE Who has "made it"? Lemme guess. They look good. They have money. They are respected. They have power. They are healthy. We all have a different definition of the Good Life. And so does Jesus. Matthew 5:1-12. Blessed are the poor in spirit. The mourning. The meek. Those who hunger for righteousness. The merciful. The pure in heart. The peacemakers. The persecuted. Rejoice and be glad. HOW WE GET IT WRONG Sounds good. But so do unicorns. I don't see any of that happening on a grand scale. More month at the end of the money. The weak getting crushed. Every day I wake up and miss people I love who are gone. We think blessed means healthy, wealthy, powerful, free from worry. Jesus associates blessed with the outsiders. The pitiful. The hungry. The desperate. Jesus has a different scorecard. A different definition of the Good Life. For Jesus, blessedness is rooted in truth. Not circumstances. He says it. It's true. You are blessed. I grew up in church. Knew the rules. Broke the rules. Sitting in my S10 at Lemery Park one day. Late winter. Overcast skies. "God, if you help me I'll only do what You want." I thought following rules would make God happy and my misery go away. I walked on eggshells waiting for Him to zap me. To me God was a crusty old man with a list, waiting for me to slip up. I wanted just enough God to feel good enough. And I was miserable. REDEMPTION First there was nothing except God. Father Son Spirit. Eternal. Then He spoke and everything came into being. The last thing He made? People. Made in His image. His masterpiece. Created to bear His image. Reflect His goodness. That is our purpose. But our first parents disobeyed. One bite. Then Cain killed Abel. All of creation cursed. Death. Pain. Toil. Sin condemns all to die. We do bad things because we are bad people. Our nature is corrupt. Romans 3:23. But our story doesn't end there. God kept pursuing us. He made a covenant with Israel. Faithful to them. They were unfaithful. Four hundred years of silence. Then one quiet night in Bethlehem. Instead of a General, God sent a baby. Jesus. Working class. Dumpy little Nazareth. Tempted like every human. Except whenever He had to choose obey or disobey, Jesus chose to obey. Their response to Him? Arrested. Kangaroo court. Spit on. Beaten. Mocked. Cross. Nails. He saw us at our worst. A holy God would've been justified to wipe them out. Instead He said, Father, forgive them. It wasn't nails that held Him there. It was love. Jesus lived the perfect life you and I fail to live. Jesus died the death you and I deserve. Three days later He walked out of His own tomb. The sacrifice was enough. Paid in full. He didn't die for good people. He died for His enemies. Romans 5:8. All your sin. All your shame. Buried in the grave. Confess with your mouth Jesus is Lord. Believe in your heart God raised Him from the dead. You will be saved. Christianity is not about what you do. It is about what Christ has done. I believed I had to live a certain way to be loved by God. And I was miserable. When I realized Jesus lived the way I was supposed to live. Died the way I was supposed to die. My sins buried with Him in the tomb. That changed everything. HOW SHOULD WE RESPOND Not to get Him to love us. Because He loves us. The difference is gratitude. Blessed are the poor in spirit. Not the confident. Not the mighty. Those who admit they are spiritually bankrupt. In God's Kingdom you gain by losing. Feel weak? Right where you need to be. Blessed are those who mourn. Jesus plants His flag among the brokenhearted. He comforts through His Spirit. Through His church. Do you mourn? Be blessed. Blessed are the meek. Not victims. Victorious. Self-forgetfulness. Not thinking less of yourself. Thinking of yourself less. Be meek. Be blessed. Blessed are those who hunger for righteousness. God will bring justice. If not in your lifetime, when He returns. Hungry to make things right? Be blessed. Blessed are the merciful. Forgiven people forgive people. Loved people love people. Need to forgive someone? Be blessed. Blessed are the pure in heart. You can't do this on your own. You need a new heart. Jesus gives you one. Read your bible. Believe the truth. Be blessed. Blessed are the peacemakers. Not peacekeepers. Peacekeepers avoid conflict. Peacemakers get their hands dirty. Mend fences. Reconcile. Be blessed. The life God blesses is shaped by the cross. We're just a bunch of weak, broken, hungry outsiders stumbling toward the true Good Life. Jesus Christ. Together.

9 Episodes

Presented by Buck Creek Community Church

Creator

Buck Creek Community Church
Years Active

2025 - 2026
Episodes

9
Rating

Clean
Copyright

© Copyright 2026 All rights reserved.
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The Find & Follow Jesus Podcast