Shelbyville Community Church

There was an old Persian ruler who wanted to impress a visiting dignitary, so he took him to a glass cage. Inside the glass cage was a lion resting comfortably next to a lamb. The dignitary was blown away and said, “How is it possible for a lion and a lamb to be in the same cage together?” “I do have a secret” said the ruler, “Every morning I put in a new lamb.” When it comes to relationships, we’...

James reminds us that when it comes to our world, there are two kinds of wisdom that bring completely different results to our lives. There is “heavenly wisdom” and there is “earthly wisdom.” Heavenly wisdom is relational. It is the powerful ability to build and keep relationships with others. Earthly wisdom is all about me and what makes me happy. By the way, let’s not confuse wisdom with knowled...

In James chapter 3, James will remind us of the power of words. He will tell us that our tongues chart the course of our lives and have the potential to either blow up a relationship or to build up that same relationship. But for James, it’s not as simple as simply monitoring our words. James says that the problem is that what comes out of our mouths simply reveals what is already lurking in our h...

Did you know that Martin Luther, the first and most notable influencer of the Protestant Reformation, believed that the Book of James should have been removed from the Bible of his day? He thought that there was too much emphasis on having works as a prerequisite and the proof that we are genuine Christ followers. The emphasis that I hope to convey deals with how to get our faith practically worki...

In James chapter 2, he will shift from talking about how to love God to how to love people. And he will tell us that, among other things, love doesn’t show partiality. In other words, love doesn’t play favorites. It doesn’t discriminate against others based on external things like appearance, ancestry, or affluence, which are always superficial and shallow. James will argue that when we discrimina...

Did you know that Martin Luther, the first and most notable influencer of the Protestant Reformation, believed that the Book of James should have been removed from the Bible of his day? He thought that there was too much emphasis on having works as a prerequisite and the proof that we are genuine Christ Followers. The emphasis that I hope to convey deals with how to get God's Word practically...

So far in the book of James, we’ve been introduced to the author—James, the half-brother of Jesus. We’ve learned who this letter is too, Jewish Christians who have fled Jerusalem due to persecution. And we’ve learned that trials form in us what nothing else can, maturity. As the letter progresses, James is about to share with us that trials have a way of wearing us down. And when we’re worn down,...

James, the half-brother of Jesus, is writing this letter to Christians who are fleeing Jerusalem due to persecution. He opens the letter saying, "consider it a great joy when you face trials of various kinds." Imagine being a recipient of this letter, knowing that you could be arrested, beaten, or killed for following Jesus, and his half-brother is telling you to be joyful for it.

The Jewish Christians are now spread out into the world, no longer in one location. With that, they are facing trails of many kinds. How will they handle that? How will they choose to live their life while following Jesus? How will they handle the different topics James discusses? Will people see Jesus in and through them?

This weekend we will be concluding our teaching on Jesus’ most famous sermon, the Sermon on the Mount. The last nine verses of this famous message summarizes the sermon by asking us to picture our lives as a house being tested by the forces of nature.

The sermon on the mount is one of five different sermons recorded in the book of Matthew. Matthew contains more instructional discipleship material from Jesus than any other book in the Bible. Jesus begins his sermon sharing who the Kingdom of God was for. He then shares what the Kingdom will be like and eventually begins sharing some Kingdom practices. It's only fitting that as Jesus begins...

In Matthew 7 are found some of Jesus’ most famous and most quoted words, even by those who would not call themselves Christians: “Judge not…“ It’s important to note that there is a comma here after “Do not judge”, not a period. In other words, Jesus is just beginning a conversation on judgement, he’s not ending it. Now, let me give you a definition of judgement: "Thou shall not size me up and...

We have been unpacking Jesus' teachings from His famous Sermon on the Mount for several weeks. It will take a lot longer than that to faithfully apply those teachings to our daily lives!! They were spoken in the revelation that Jesus is the ultimate authority in the Kingdom of God and that He desires us to live under His loving authority with other Kingdom Seekers. I'm one of those Seeke...

In Jesus’ most famous sermon, on a day when He could have talked about anything, Jesus chose to talk about worry. This reminds us that even 2,000 years ago, people worried about stuff. As long as there have been people, worry has been a constant companion. The reason is simple. Life is uncertain, and that makes us very uncomfortable. We like a sure thing, and we worry when we bump up against uncer...

Baptism is a picture of a new life! This weekend we have the amazing opportunity to celebrate what God is doing here at SCC through the ancient practice of baptism. We’re used to thinking that baptism day is about us or the other people who made their declaration of faith alongside of us, but nothing could be further from the truth. Baptism is a celebration and picture of Christ’s loving work of s...

In Jesus’ most famous sermon, on a day when He could have talked about anything, Jesus chose to talk to Jewish peasants about worry. When it comes to worry, there are three kinds of people.

As we continue looking at the sermon on the Mount, Jesus makes an absolutely insane statement. "Don't worry about your life." If only Jesus knew what I had going on! Does He know my schedule or what's on my plate? Does He understand what it's like living in 2023?

In John 20, Jesus shows up right in the middle of the terror and confusion of His disciples. And He brings calm, assurance, and peace with Him! I wonder, what does Jesus need to show up in the middle of in your own life? The resurrection means that Jesus shows up, right in the middle.

We’ve talked often about the Kingdom of God being the backdrop and context for the Sermon on the Mount. Jesus talked about the Kingdom more than any other subject, but His next favorite topic might surprise you. He often talked to Jewish peasants about something they had very little of, and that is money!

Did you know that what we traditionally call “The Lord’s Prayer” was taught as part of Jesus’ Sermon on the Mount? Have you been noticing that a lot of what we have heard people say as we have grown up has its roots in Jesus' historical sermon? I trust that this Sunday’s message will uncover some new nuggets too. I think I can assure you that it won’t be boring!

Matthew, the author of this book wrote to a Jewish audience. Many of Jesus early followers were Jewish. As we look at the opening verses of chapter 6, Jesus speaks directly to three Jewish practices: giving, praying, and fasting. Jesus really challenges the hearts of those listening. Is what you do for righteousness or reputation? Is what you do a show to impress others or is it for you to draw ne...

As we continue through Jesus’ most famous sermon, we come to two of Jesus' most famous, most misunderstood, and least applied commands of the entire sermon. Both commands illustrate how we are to love those who would hurt, shame, or mistreat us. The reason they are so sparingly applied in our world is because the natural bent of our hearts is toward revenge.

In Jesus’ day, there was a type of divorce available only to men called an “any cause” divorce. Predictably, it immediately became the most popular form of divorce in Israel. Rabbis even went so far as to list different faults they believed a husband could divorce his wife for under this “any cause” provision. This type of divorce is the backdrop for Jesus' words about Marriage and Divorce in...

Jesus was always concerned about relationships as priorities. There is nothing that steals trust from our relationships like lying to one another. The Psalmist said that God desires truth in our innermost being. Even when we swear on our mother’s graves or make pinky promises, Jesus still brings it back to, “Just do what you say.”

When we mishandle our sexuality, when we use it selfishly or callously, we damage the two things that are most dear in the Kingdom of God. We damage our heart, and we demean relationships. We take a man or a woman who has been made in the image of God and reduce them to body parts for our own gratification.