National Community Church Audio Podcast National Community Church

The teachings of Jesus are disorienting. They are disorienting because some of them are difficult to understand and all of them are difficult to apply. Jesus points us to a Creator who designed sexuality to reflect the eternal joys and mysteries of heaven, and he teaches us to walk in relationships with one another in a way that reflects his perfect love. This message tackles the tough teachings of Jesus on adultery, lust, and divorce.

In Matthew 5:21-24, Jesus unpacks the true meaning behind the sixth commandment. The pharisees focused on the act of murder, but Jesus said, the anger in our hearts has the same judgment before God. Have you ever taken time to look under the hood of the anger in your life? Anger is a secondary emotion. When we dig beneath the surface, we find anger is often born out of an unmet need or expectation. And we find that there are other emotions and challenges at play that lead to anger being expressed. What is the underlying hurt in your life? Anger is an iceberg - there's always so much more underneath the surface.
We'll walk through this scripture and its progression, as it takes us from anger to forgiveness to reconciliation. Some of us need to learn to forgive and let go of those offenses that have actually taken us captive. And some of us need to reach out to those that have been offended by us and move towards reconciled relationship. These are not easy steps. But the Lord can give you wisdom as you reflect and let His Spirit bring revelation to your heart.

Half of spiritual growth is learning. The other half is unlearning. Jesus didn't do an orientation with his disciples. He did a disorientation. Six times in the Sermon on the Mount He says, “You have heard that it was said, but I tell you.” Jesus was uninstalling Old Testament paradigms and reinstalling New Covenant principles.

We often have plans, goals, and things that we are pursuing. That is not a bad thing. But what happens when the plans we've made go left or don't materialize? How do we respond to that? In the life of Joseph, the earthly father of Jesus, we see how to move forward when God has a different plan.

During the most wonderful time of the year, as dubbed by the popular Christmas song, many people don't have the same sentiment. And there are many reasons for that. But the proclamation of Jesus' birth, was not related to gift giving, holiday cheer, or decorations. It was all about joy found in the ultimate gift of Jesus.

God's greatest gift came wrapped in swaddling cloths. That gift is right relationship with God. It's God with us, God for us, God in us. But that gift, like any gift, must be unwrapped.