Edgefield Church Nashville – Sermons

Jesus says when we ask God for something we?ll receive it. But what does that mean, and why should we believe it?s true?

Jesus warns us against standing in judgment over others because we?re not worthy ourselves, and because we don?t see everything clearly.

Several times in this text Jesus gives the same simple command: don?t be anxious. To those of us who struggle with anxiety, that can sound a bit like blaming the victim. Who would really choose to be anxious, after all? But what Jesus offers isn?t a dismissive charge to get over it. Nor is it a comprehensive explanation of everything that goes into anxiety. What he offers are weapons for the battl...

Jesus warns us that we can only serve one Master. His words challenge us to make God our beloved treasure, not earthly wealth that will only decay.

In the discipline of fasting?as in anything we sacrifice for God and his kingdom?either we will be celebrated for the costliness of our commitment or God will be celebrated for the value of his friendship.

Jesus has warned us not to pray like hypocrites or pagans, but what does healthy Christian prayer look like? Christian prayer is based on who God is, it?s focused on what God wants, and it?s honest about what we need.

Before teaching us how to pray, Jesus first clarifies why we should pray to God in the first place. We should come to God because we love him, not from a hypocritical desire to impress other people. And we should come to God because we trust him, not from some attempt to control him by saying just the right thing.

The righteousness of Jesus?s followers will always stand out, but his followers are never righteous in order to stand out.

Jesus finishes his examples of kingdom behavior with the primary mark of all those who are with him?love. But not just any love. The distinctive love of Jesus?s followers?a love that reflects the love of their Father?is love for those who don?t love them well in return.

Jesus says his followers don?t resist when they?re mistreated. But what does it look like to obey? And wouldn?t it be dangerous for us and for others if we did obey? Jesus offer four examples that show us both how his words challenge us and how his words help us.

trivial. In fact, our words reveal what?s inside our hearts and for those of us that follow Jesus, the truthfulness of our words show the world who He is.

As Jesus continues to show us what whole-hearted love for and obedience to God looks like, we consider three ways that Jesus tells us we might be committing adultery: lust, divorce, and remarriage after divorce. Plumbing the depth of our sin, we also plumb the depth of Christ?s love and mercy. And we come to the glorious conclusion that Christ is enough.

In this section of the sermon on the mount, Jesus calls us to hearts that are empty of anger and full of reconciliation. We feel our need of a savior because we can never meet this standard perfectly. We also consider practical ways to avoid anger and pursue reconciliation that flow from transformed hearts that rest in the finished work of Christ.

What does the Old Testament have to do with the kingdom Jesus came to establish? He came to fulfill its purpose and demands, and now his followers should be careful to follow his commandments out of delight instead of duty.

We must see ourselves in Adam?s death if we want to fully see ourselves in Jesus?s resurrection.

In the Beatitudes Jesus described the character of those who follow him. Now he tells us why our character matters. When we?re with Jesus, we?re called to be different, called to be useful, and ultimately called to glorify God.

As a follower of Jesus, you should expect persecution. It is as basic as being poor in spirit, mourning over sin, or hungering after righteousness. But Jesus also says you should welcome persecution, because it shows you belong to another world.

To be children of God is to take on the family resemblance. And that means seeking peace where God seeks peace.

For one reason or another, we want to see God. We want to understand the forces in the world that are bigger than us and outside our control. We want to know that there?s meaning beyond our own preferences and something that last longer than our own lives. We want to know the claims of the Bible are true, that we aren?t alone in our suffering, that our connection to God can be more than abstract a...

With this Beatitude Jesus shifts focus to how the citizens of his kingdom treat others. Blessed are the merciful. So what does Jesus mean by mercy, and what does it take to be merciful?

Some of us need to be told that it?s possible to be satisfied. Some of us need a reminder that we?re more hungry than we may realize. All of us need the challenge and the comfort in Jesus?s promise that satisfaction comes to those who hunger and thirst for righteousness. So what is righteousness? And what are you hungry for?

We tend to think of meekness as a weakness, but Jesus calls the meek blessed. So what does he mean by meekness, and how can we cultivate it?

All of us spend tremendous amounts of time and energy and money seeking what we believe will make us happy. But Jesus says that it?s those who mourn who will be blessed. What sort of mourning does he have in mind? And how will the mourners be blessed?

Jesus said that the kingdom of heaven belongs to the poor in spirit, but what did he mean by ?poor in spirit?? And what does that mean for us if we want to enjoy his kingdom?

To begin his public ministry, according to the Gospel of Matthew, Jesus traveled around proclaiming the ?gospel of the kingdom.? The Sermon on the Mount is the longest, most detailed account of the sorts of things Jesus was saying. What does he say the kingdom is like? In what sense is this gospel?good news? And how can we make the most of this sermon?