Cross Church Winnipeg Sermon Podcast

2,000 years ago, our Lord Jesus Christ taught us how we as Christians ought to live. Our Lord never sugar-coats or backs away from tough subjects. Humans are too quick to judge others, causing strife and bitterness. Jesus commands us in Matthew 7:1-5 to be humble and to seek to help others with a spirit of grace and kindness. “Do not judge others, and you will not be judged. For you will be treated as you treat others. The standard you use in judging is the standard by which you will be judged. How can you think of saying to your friend, ‘Let me help you get rid of that speck in your eye,’ when you can’t see past the log in your own eye? Jesus demands unswerving loyalty to Him and to His Kingdom standards, and it is for our sake!

2,000 years ago, our Lord Jesus Christ taught us how we as Christians ought to live. Our Lord never sugar-coats or backs away from tough subjects. Your goals, dreams and desires are to be surrendered to the will of God. Jesus teaches us in Matthew 6:33-34 how the Christian lives life on a daily basis. That’s right, Christianity is a daily religion. He says: “Seek the Kingdom of God above all else, and live righteously, and he will give you everything you need. So, don’t worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will bring its own worries. Today’s trouble is enough for today.” Jesus demands unswerving loyalty to Him and to His Kingdom standards. You have one pursuit, and it is God and His will!

2,000 years ago, our Lord Jesus Christ taught us how we as Christians ought to live. Our Lord never sugar-coats or backs away from tough subjects. He commands us in Matthew 6:25-32 not to worry or be anxious about anything: “Therefore I tell you, do not be anxious about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink, nor about your body, what you will put on. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothing?  “So, don’t worry about these things, saying, ‘What will we eat? What will we drink? What will we wear?’ These things dominate the thoughts of unbelievers, but your heavenly Father already knows all your needs.” Jesus demands unswerving loyalty to Him and to His Kingdom standards.

2,000 years ago, our Lord Jesus Christ taught us how we as Christians ought to live. Our Lord never sugar-coats or backs away from tough or offensive subjects. Bob Dylan wrote, “You’re gonna have to serve somebody. Well, it may be the devil or it may be the Lord, But you’re gonna have to serve somebody.” Dylan understands humans; he understands himself. Here is what Jesus says about servitude and commitment in Matthew 6:24: “No one can serve two masters, for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and money.” Jesus demands unswerving loyalty to Him and to His Kingdom standards.

2,000 years ago, our Lord Jesus Christ taught us how we as Christians ought to live. Our Lord never sugar-coats or backs away from tough subjects. Jesus demands unswerving loyalty to Him and to His Kingdom standards. He teaches us in Matthew 6:22-23 how to make right decisions, full of wisdom and truth in this dark world: “The eye is the lamp of the body. So, if your eye is healthy, your whole body will be full of light, but if your eye is bad, your whole body will be full of darkness. If then the light in you is darkness, how great is the darkness!”

2,000 years ago, our Lord Jesus Christ taught us how we as Christians ought to live. Our Lord never sugar-coats or backs away from tough subjects. Jesus demands unswerving loyalty to Him and to His Kingdom with its values. Here is what He says about money and possessions: “Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal, but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.”

Sermon on the Mount, Part 13 - Forgive to be Forgiven Jesus’ teaching is just as relevant today as it was 2,000 years ago. In the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus tackles tough issues head-on. When we think of the wonderful things that God has given us, we know that the gift of Jesus Christ and the salvation that comes through Christ is the greatest gift humanity has ever received. Perhaps the second greatest gift humanity has ever received is this magnificent prayer called, “The Lord’s Prayer.” We easily forget that all of us were born lost and estranged from God. The miracle of Jesus' birth was the beginning of reconciliation. We sing, “God and sinner reconciled.” The story of Christmas is about God the Father forgiving all who come to Him in full repentance, putting their faith in Jesus. Jesus teaches us the glorious truth that God forgives. But we must never forget that we who are Christians are called to forgive just as our Father forgives us.

Jesus’ teaching is just as relevant today as it was 2,000 years ago. He tackles tough issues head on. When we think of the wonderful things that God has given us, we know that the gift of Jesus Christ and the salvation that comes through Christ is the greatest gift humanity has ever received. Perhaps the second greatest gift humanity has ever received is this magnificent prayer called the Lord’s prayer. Here is what Jesus says about HOW to pray: “Pray like this: Our Father in heaven, may your name be kept holy. May your Kingdom come soon. May your will be done on earth, as it is in heaven. Give us today the food we need, and forgive us our sins, as we have forgiven those who sin against us. And don’t let us yield to temptation, but rescue us from the evil one.”

Jesus’ teaching is just as relevant today as it was 2,000 years ago. He tackles tough issues head on. Here is what Jesus says about HOW to pray: Pray like this: Our Father in heaven, may your name be kept holy. May your Kingdom come soon. May your will be done on earth, as it is in heaven. Give us today the food we need, and forgive us our sins, as we have forgiven those who sin against us. And don’t let us yield to temptation, but rescue us from the evil one. Jesus adds a footnote: By the way, “If you forgive those who sin against you, your heavenly Father will forgive you. But if you refuse to forgive others, your Father will not forgive your sins.

Jesus’ teaching is just as relevant today as it was 2,000 years ago. He tackles tough issues head on. Before our Lord Jesus tells us how to pray, first He tells us HOW not to pray: “When you pray, don’t babble on and on as the Gentiles do. They think their prayers are answered merely by repeating their words again and again. Don’t be like them, for your Father knows exactly what you need even before you ask him!” Babbling prayer has more to do with superstition and mindless religious activity. Babbling prayer supposes that God is impersonal and not caring. Babbling prayer is about human wisdom and human effort trying to reach the heart of God. We are reminded that we need Jesus to teach us how to communicate with the God of the universe in a way that is acceptable to Him.

Jesus’ teaching is just as relevant today as it was 2,000 years ago. He tackles tough issues head on. Here is what Jesus says about how NOT to pray: “When you pray, don’t be like the hypocrites who love to pray publicly on street corners and in the synagogues where everyone can see them. I tell you the truth, that is all the reward they will ever get. But when you pray, go away by yourself, shut the door behind you, and pray to your Father in private. Then your Father, who sees everything, will reward you. “And when you fast, don’t make it obvious, as the hypocrites do, for they try to look miserable and disheveled so people will admire them for their fasting. I tell you the truth, that is the only reward they will ever get.  But when you fast, comb your hair and wash your face. Then no one will notice that you are fasting, except your Father, who knows what you do in private. And your Father, who sees everything, will reward you.

Jesus’ teaching is just as relevant today as it was 2,000 years ago. He tackles tough issues head on. Here is what Jesus says about giving to the needy: “Watch out! Don’t do your good deeds publicly, to be admired by others, for you will lose the reward from your Father in heaven. 2 When you give to someone in need, don’t do as the hypocrites do—blowing trumpets in the synagogues and streets to call attention to their acts of charity! I tell you the truth, they have received all the reward they will ever get. 3 But when you give to someone in need, don’t let your left hand know what your right hand is doing. 4 Give your gifts in private, and your Father, who sees everything, will reward you.

Jesus’ teaching is just as relevant today as it was 2,000 years ago. He tackles tough issues head on. Here is what Jesus says about what to do with people who are, or seem to be, our enemies: “You have heard the law that says, ‘Love your neighbor’ and hate your enemy. But I say, love your enemies! Pray for those who persecute you! In that way, you will be acting as true children of your Father in heaven. For he gives his sunlight to both the evil and the good, and he sends rain on the just and the unjust alike. If you love only those who love you, what reward is there for that? Even corrupt tax collectors do that much. If you are kind only to your friends, how are you different from anyone else? Even pagans do that. But you are to be perfect, even as your Father in heaven is perfect.

Jesus’ teaching is just as relevant today as it was 2,000 years ago. He tackles tough issues head on. Here is what Jesus says about revenge and how Christians cope with the yearning to get even: “You have heard the law that says the punishment must match the injury: ‘An eye for an eye, and a tooth for a tooth.’ But I say, do not resist an evil person! If someone slaps you on the right cheek, offer the other cheek also. If you are sued in court and your shirt is taken from you, give your coat, too. If a soldier demands that you carry his gear for a mile, carry it two miles. Give to those who ask, and don’t turn away from those who want to borrow.

Jesus’ teaching is just as relevant today as it was 2,000 years ago. He tackles tough issues head on. Here is what Jesus says about makes vows and taking oaths: “You have also heard that our ancestors were told, ‘You must not break your vows; you must carry out the vows you make to the Lord.’  But I say, do not make any vows! Do not say, ‘By heaven!’ because heaven is God’s throne. And do not say, ‘By the earth!’ because the earth is his footstool. And do not say, ‘By Jerusalem!’ for Jerusalem is the city of the great King. Do not even say, ‘By my head!’ for you can’t turn one hair white or black. 37 Just say a simple, ‘Yes, I will,’ or ‘No, I won’t.’ Anything beyond this is from the evil one.

Jesus’ teaching is just as relevant today as it was 2,000 years ago. He tackles tough issues head-on. In an age when marriage is no longer revered as sacred and holy, and in a time when divorce is just as prevalent among Christians as non-Christians, it's important to remember that God says that He hates divorce and to hear what Jesus says about it: “You have heard the law that says, ‘A man can divorce his wife by merely giving her a written notice of divorce.’ But I say that a man who divorces his wife, unless she has been unfaithful, causes her to commit adultery. And anyone who marries a divorced woman also commits adultery.

Jesus’ teaching is just as relevant today as it was 2,000 years ago. He tackles tough issues head on. Here is what He says about lust and sexual purity: “You have heard the commandment that says, ‘You must not commit adultery.’ But I say, anyone who even looks at a woman with lust has already committed adultery with her in his heart. So if your eye—even your good eye—causes you to lust, gouge it out and throw it away. It is better for you to lose one part of your body than for your whole body to be thrown into hell. And if your hand—even your stronger hand—causes you to sin, cut it off and throw it away. It is better for you to lose one part of your body than for your whole body to be thrown into hell.

A special Thanksgiving message reminding us to be thankful in all circumstances.

The Kingdom of God and the personal life of the Christian are described in the highest standards. It is a standard that is impossible for mere humans to live up to. But Jesus lived up to His own standards perfectly and then He insists that His followers also live up to these standards. Thank God that by His grace and the empowering of the Holy Spirit, we can live out these perfect standards. Jesus calls us to the highest standard of peace between one another. Christians do not call people “fools.” Christians do not hate or allow themselves to be angry at others. Christians are devoted to making peace immediately with everyone. Christians do not allow hurts and offenses to fester. Christian relationships are always marked by love and kindness, even when it is not returned. As we see here, it is easy to say, “Love one another,’ but this an impossible command to keep unless we have supernatural help from above.

Most Christians are quick to declare, “I’m under grace; I’m not under the Law.” But Jesus emphatically declared, “Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them.” The law of God given to Moses is a set of guidelines to ensure that the Israelites' behavior reflected their status as God’s chosen people. It encompasses moral behavior, their position as a godly example to other nations, and systematic procedures for acknowledging God’s holiness and mankind’s sinfulness. In an attempt to better understand the purpose of these laws, Jews and Christians categorize them. This has led to the distinction between moral law, ceremonial law, and judicial law, which is the foundation of so much of western law. The Puritans loved to say that, “the law leads us to Christ to be made righteous and then Christ sends us back to the law to learn what it means to be holy.