All of Life Church Sermon Audio

We all have spheres of influence. Circles of connection within which we have an effect on other human beings. What effect do you have on the people around you? Through Christ we are anointed as saints - and participants with God on his mission. That's a bit hard to believe, but it's true. Once we start believing that, we'll naturally be fueled by the Gospel to see the people around us, get to know...

The United States is ranked the #1 most "individualistic" culture in the world. This creates substantial (yet unseen) effects on our expectation and understanding of "US" as the family of God. By "Practicing", we are willing to attempt something new - and risk failure. The result of practicing is we (and the people around us) are formed into whole-hearted followers of Jesus. The "One Another's" ar...

Through God’s mercy, He has justified us, sanctifies us, and will glorify us. These promises are guarded by his power. His love, presence, and promises transform us, and create enduring joy and generosity. Abiding is how we experientially taste and enjoy the presence and promises of God.

As a church community, we dialogue about how the Sermon on the Mount has come home to us.

"Sacred" or "Secular" - we all build our lives on central ideas and tenets. Sometimes we choose these with great thoughtfulness and intentionality. Other times, these operate in the subconscious, unintentional and unseen. Jesus of Nazareth offers this wisdom: Life will be full of storms. Rain, flood, and wind will beat on the structures of our lives - and those structures built on "sand" will be d...

We all admire 'straight shooters'. Those people who are able to speak the true and hard things - without beating around the bush or using muddy language. Jesus of Nazareth is the straightest of shooters - and we benefit from his clear warning in these sentences. He tells us to beware those will ill-intent, deception, and hypocrisy. He gives us relevant tools for identifying these "false prophets"...

Followers of Jesus choose to follow Jesus every day - and this is the cost of entry to the kingdom of God. Jesus is the gate, and he is ready to open it to those who will choose him and walk his path. DA Carson - "Men will not gain the kingdom by worshipping nature, nor by pious sentiment, nor by drifting into salvation without decision and commitment, still less by hedonism and self-expression. T...

Ask, Seek, Knock. Ask for what? What am I supposed to be seeking in the first place? How do I knock? Among these questions comes the natural and legitimate question, “if God is a good father that gives good things, why doesn’t it feel that way?” Jesus of Nazareth continues the sermon on the mount, and presents the famous teaching that creates these questions. Matthew records Jesus’ words, and prov...

“Judge not” - if we put a period there, it feels like Jesus is putting a general kibosh on judgement of all kinds. This misunderstanding explains why our culture quickly goes to “you can’t judge me!” Neither Jesus nor Matthew put a period there, so neither should we. Jesus uses 3 phrases, and together they create an image of thoughtful, mature engagement with the world, and our own heart. Jesus he...

Anxiousness is not something that removes us from the presence of God. He doesn’t require that we perfect our internal world before connecting with him, instead He invites us to connect with Him, even in the midst of our anxiety and little faith. It’s through intimate trust with Him that our concerns for provision are resolved. By observing God’s world, and His loving and providing hand in it, tha...

“Lay up treasures in heaven… The eye is the lamp of the body… You cannot serve God and money.” Jesus uses three phrasings to help us understand our relationship to possessions, and how it affects our body and souls. All three develop our understanding that Jesus cares deeply for us, and wants to free us from the things that will enslave us if not for his proper Kingship of our lives.

In the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus of Nazareth gives instruction on the type of prayer that shapes us to more readily follow him whole-heartedly. He teaches us a new posture before God - “when you pray, pray in secret. And your Father who sees in secret will reward you”. This new teaching on prayer doesn’t take away the reward or spiritual vibrancy of prayer. It doesn’t make it bland, disinterestin...

No matter who you are, Jesus’s teaching on loving your enemies is jarring. It feels foreign - our natural impulse is to “love your neighbors (those who love us), and hate your enemy (those who hate us)”. But, Jesus of Nazareth has lived in a radically patient and merciful way toward those who hate him, namely, you and I. His instruction - both in his life and his teaching - is consistent with the...

Jesus’ instruction on violence and disparate social power structures is challenging. His teaching isn’t challenging because his words are hard to understand, but because his teaching is clear - and our hearts want nothing to do with it. Jesus is inviting us to remember the True Story of God - and to let it radically redefine our response to the world. He teaches us a new way, a Gospel Way, to brin...

2,000 years ago Jesus gave instruction on oaths and swearing. Has his teaching lost relevance and potency for our modern context? Turns out, Jesus’ teaching is specifically crafted to address the people in front of him - but his true message is especially relevant in a global post-christian culture that is built on assumed lapses in God's sovereignty.

We are in a series of difficult passages of Jesus' teaching. Not necessarily difficult to untangle, but difficult passages for us to submit to (and hear without defense). His teaching addresses areas of our lives where there is a significant amount of wounding and shame. As a Loving King, Jesus speaks gently and courageously here. He speaks to the painful destruction of marriage commitments. His g...

Lust. It's a scary word, because it reminds us that sin can be hidden internally, unnoticed on the surface of our lives. Jesus’ big point in the Sermon on the Mount was that having “right” external behaviors isn’t what He’s after. He's after internal freedom - giving us new life, through himself. “Sin is not merely a matter of actions and deeds; it is something within the heart that leads to the a...

Anger. It's something we all experience, and something we all question. - Is it possible to have "good" anger? - What does God want me to do with MY anger? Jesus' teaching in Matthew 5 shows his ideal principles (the big picture stuff), and some culturally specific practicals (how it really plays out). In short: God is righteously angry (and that's really good), and you're (probably) unrighteously...

In the grand scheme of God's plan and Israel's history, we are newcomers to the Hebrew tradition and its Scriptures. As "foreigners" of this culture and heritage, we can have a complicated relationship with the "Old" Testament (The Law & Prophets). The life of Christ shows us that Jesus did not have the same complicated relationship that we experience. He loved his Bible. It was his foundation for...

Jesus' gathered and scattered people are non-ignorable. We are to have a distinct, preserving, flavor giving, and illuminating influence on the world around us. Jesus wants his church to be seen, not kept secret.