Unbinding the Bible

This episode is a sermon I preached in June of 2020 from Matthew 9. I'm inserting it here on the podcast because of its close connection to Jesus' teaching on judging, which we just looked at in Matthew 7:1-5. A great book packed with insights on this topic is Greg Boyd's, Repenting of Religion. I HIGHLY recommend it!

In this episode, we'll look at Jesus' words from Matthew 7:1-5 and tackle just what judging others is all about, why people do it, and why Jesus has forbidden his followers from engaging in it. I personally believe the church has dropped the ball here big time and that there are few areas of Christian discipleship we need to learn more about than this one. Lord, have mercy.

In this episode, we'll look at Matthew 6:25-34 and hear Jesus' call for us to lay aside our anxieties and focus our attention on God's kingdom and righteousness. I hope you'll hear this week's episode as a huge encouragement, an invitation to be cared for deeply by the One who loves you.

In this episode, we'll discuss Matthew 6:19-24. I'll read a journal entry from 2019 and let you in on my flow of thought as I wrestled through the logic of this passage and the implications it has for us as disciples of Jesus. I hope this encourages you as you listen!

This week on the podcast we'll look at Jesus' words about fasting from Matthew 6:16-18. I'll share several ways I see this applying to us today and a number of ways I've personally failed to live up to Jesus' ideal. I think you'll enjoy this week's episode and hope you're encouraged by it.

In this episode, we'll talk about Jesus' famous prayer from Matthew 6:5-15, including his rather strange-sounding teaching about (conditional?) forgiveness in verses 14-15.

In this episode, we'll look at Matthew 6:1-4 and Jesus' words about the motivations behind acts of righteousness.

In this episode, we'll look at Jesus' words from Matthew 5:43-48. We'll see how his idea of righteousness tends to be much different from the average Christian in today's church and what we should do about it.

In this episode, we'll look at Jesus' words from Matthew 5:38-41, his famous "turn the other cheek" teaching. This passage remains one of the most ignored teachings in the entire New Testament and yet provides us with the most opportunity to actually be salt and light in this world, as we'll see. In other news, this episode marks the 200th episode of Unbinding the Bible! If you have an episode or...

This week's episode is a conversation I had with Jason Porterfield about his book, Fight Like Jesus: How Jesus Waged Peace Throughout Holy Week. This is a book every Christian needs to read!  You can find Jason on Instagram and Facebook, or on his website @ www.jasonporterfield.com/ 

In this episode, we'll look at Jesus' words from Matthew 5:33-37. We'll discover why simple "Yes" or "No" statements reflect the heart of God more than appeals to higher authorities and we'll see just how subtly this same practice is still wreaking havoc in the church today.

On this episode, we'll look at Jesus' teaching from Matthew 5:31-32. In order to understand what Jesus is talking about, we'll look at several other passages - Matthew 19:3-10, Deuteronomy 24:1-4, Exodus 21:10-11, and Genesis 1-2. This week's topic is one that for many has been full of confusion, questions, and pain, and I hope to offer some encouragement and hope through exploring it. 

This week on the podcast I'm re-releasing the conversation I had with Joshua Ryan Butler on his outstanding book, The Skeletons in God's Closet. Our conversation in August 2020 focused on just the first third of his book, The Mercy of Hell. I decided to re-release this episode here on the podcast because of Jesus' words in Matthew 5:21-30 on hell and how important it is to think rightly about what...

In this episode, we'll look at Jesus' words about looking at a woman with lustful intent from Matthew 5:27-30. We'll talk about what Jesus means, what Purity Culture has done (or not done) with Jesus' teaching over the years, and how Jesus intends his kingdom to be a safe place for women.  At the close of the episode, I recommended a great book by Jay Stringer called Unwanted. You can find it here...

The following is the sermon I preached at our church Sunday February 12, 2023 on Matthew 5:21-26. My sermon for the week fell once again on the exact passage we're on in Jesus' Sermon on the Mount, so this week's episode is that sermon.  

This episode is the sermon I preached to our congregation Sunday February 5, 2023 on Matthew 5:13-20. 

In this episode, we'll look at Matthew 5:13-16 and the two metaphors Jesus uses to describe his disciples. We'll talk about what salt and light mean as well as a few of the ways I believe they've been wrongly understood and applied.

I'm happy to have Matt Tebbe on the podcast this week! Matt is the co-author (along with Ben Sternke) of the book, Having the Mind of Christ: Eight Axioms to Cultivate a Robust Faith. You definitely want to buy this book and read all of it! It's outstanding!  And if you'd like to find Matt online, you can do so at www.gravityleadership.com

In this episode, we'll look at Matthew 5:10-12 and talk about how true persecution is much different than mere loss of privilege. We'll explore how these two are often confused in the modern western Church and what truly following Jesus (and receiving subsequent persecution for righteousness' sake) might actually look like. 

In this episode, we'll focus in on Matthew 5:9 - "Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God." We'll talk about what a peacemaker is and contrast it with peace-faking (which is all too common in our world and in the church today). 

In this episode, we'll continue our look at the beatitudes and the kinds of people whom the LORD sees in a special way. I'll read an email I received from one of our listeners, Kaitlin, which captures the essence of these thoughts. This is a conversation we need to continually have, and I'm committed to always keeping it before us. 

This episode is the short sermon I preached at our church Christmas Eve 2021. I'm sharing it here in light of Christmas and because of how our understanding of Jesus' glory prepares us to embody his teaching in the Sermon on the Mount, which we will resume our study of in the new year.  I wish you all a very Merry Christmas! Unbinding the Bible will resume in January 2023. 

In this episode, we'll look at Matthew 5:1-12, commonly referred to as the Beatitudes. And we'll discuss the difference between reading these beatitudes descriptively or prescriptively. 

In this episode, we'll take a look at what Jesus means by repentance and why true repentance is good news for those pursuing Jesus' kingdom.  I referenced several books in today's episode:  Sermon on the Mount: A Beginner's Guide to the Kingdom of Heaven, by Amy-Jill Levine The Divine Conspiracy: Rediscovering Our Hidden Life in God, by Dallas Willard What If Jesus Was Serious? A Visual Guide to t...

In this episode, we're going right to the heart of Jesus' Power-Under Kingdom: his teaching from the Sermon on the Mount. I'll give a bit of background to these first several chapters of Matthew's gospel and why reading his narrative as a recapitulation is necessary for us as Christians. I also reference several earlier episodes on the podcast (029, 030, 031) that you really should go back and rel...