by Pastor Adam | September 6 2015 | When Jesus says it is blessed to be persecuted, he isn't referring to bringing on persecution in your own righteousness. That is simply being a hypocrite or being obnoxious. He says blessed are those who are willing to align themselves with me even at the cost of their own status in this world. Therefore, even in the face of persecution the follower of Jesus can rejoice because he knows his identity in Jesus is secure.
Beatitudes - The Peacemakers (Part 2)
by Pastor Adam | August 30 2015 | Those who have received God's peace are naturally and intuitively peacemakers, calling others to peace with God and cultivating peace with people around them. A peacekeeper is someone who sees others with the mind of Christ and therefore pursues them like he would. If you find yourself lacking peace with others, the answer is always found in your personal peace with God.
Beatitudes - The Peacemakers (Part 1)
by Pastor Adam | August 23 2015 | In order to be a peacemaker, we must first receive peace. This is what it means to be called children of God. The gospel is the wonderful news that a God who we have made war against our entire life is willing to cross the battle lines and offer not just a cease fire, but a full reconciliation. In fact, at the cost of his own life, Jesus makes is possible for us to be called children of God - fully adopted into God's family. This is our only hope for peace.
Beatitudes - The Pure in Heart
by Pastor Adam | August 16 2015 | To be pure in heart is to be free from sin. But to be able to see God we need to be pure in heart. Therein lies the central human problem - the very thing we were created to do and be we cannot do and be. The glory of the gospel is that Jesus was and is all that we cannot be and invites us into the presence of our Creator through his purity and his sacrifice.
Beatitudes - The Merciful
by Pastor Adam | August 9 2015 | Our mercifulness does not earn God's mercy for us. Rather our mercifulness is evidence that we have received God's mercy. So, just as God's mercy is driven by his covenant faithfulness and costly forgiveness and self sacrifice, so too should our mercy be driven to those around us.
Beatitudes - Those Who Hunger and Thirst
by Pastor Adam | August 2 2015 | To hunger and thirst for righteousness at its core is to seek acceptance and approval. This is a universal human reality. Far too often, we seek this through worldly affirmation or religious achievement. However, true acceptance is only found in the one who knows you for who you really - God himself. Jesus offers his own righteousness for those who hunger and thirst. And those who receive it will never hunger or thirst again.
Beatitudes - The Meek
by Pastor Adam | July 26 2015 | At first glance the word meek is so lackluster - who wants to be meek? But a closer look helps us see a person who remains powerful, but now under the influence of the Spirit and deeply formed by the gospel. And in the end, Jesus is really the only truly meek one. And therefore it is only through our connection to him that we enter the kingdom he offers.
Beatitudes - Those who Mourn
by Pastor Adam | July 19 2015 | Blessed are those who mourn...really? Definitely! When Jesus speaks these words he is not referring to a constant state of doom or negativity, but to a sorrowful awareness of sin. The presence of sin in our world and in us should give us a somber perspective that things are not the way God created them to be and there is nothing we can do to fix it. And then we experience the radical comfort of knowing that Jesus has done and will do what we cannot.
Beatitudes - The Poor in Spirit
by Pastor Adam | July 12 2015 | In this first beatitude, Jesus uses the imagery of utter destitution - a bankrupt and desperate beggar completely dependent upon others for survival. And he applies it to the entire crowd in regards to their spiritual merit and morality. The secret to entrance into the kingdom of God is spiritual bankruptcy. It is the spiritual beggars who will find and need the gospel of grace which Jesus offers.
Beatitudes - An Introduction
by Pastor Adam | July 5 2015 | The beatitudes are the beginning of an inauguration address to engage a wide ranging audience with the good new of the kingdom. This introduction sets the stage for our study of the beatitudes by showing that they are not a list of commands to be accomplished, but rather an ever increasing reality in the lives of those who follow Jesus.
