Prayer – what subject has more intrigue and difficulty? Jesus in Matthew 6 gives a model of prayer that a child understands and scholars can study. Before His model prayer,…
Jesus has taught there are six evils that interfere with the kingdom (anger, lust, divorce, lying, vengeance, and hatred). Now, Jesus goes inside the believer to demonstrate that good works…
In Matthew 5, Jesus makes six statements clarifying the Kingdom. In this week's teaching, He makes the hardest of all requests; He tells His followers to love their neighbors and their…
There are many times in our lives—and we never know when they will strike—when suddenly the wind gets up and the sea becomes rough. But if we listen, through the…
Basic human nature responds to aggression by fight or flight. Neither of these responses build community or have positive results. Jesus gives a third way to respond to aggressive behavior…
Words in Scripture have power to create. Truthful words create reality and trust. Lies create ruin and broken relationships and are from the evil one himself. Jesus’ mandate for believers…
First, it was anger, then lust, and now Jesus talks about divorce. We probably wouldn't have divorced if we had dealt with anger and lust. Divorce, however, is a reality…
Every good and perfect gift comes from the Father. Humanity has taken these good gifts; instead of enjoying them, we have abused them. Sex is one such gift that we…
Jesus begins one of the longest sections in His sermon. He looks at the Law and gives us our Creator’s intention for that law. Jesus begins with murder and dissects…
What is this book we call the Bible? The average person may view the Bible as “the good book”, professors see it as a myth, critics see it as a…
In the context of the Beatitudes, Jesus tells us what we are and what we should be doing. We are salt and light. We don’t try to be these two;…
Jesus opens His first recorded sermon with an attention getter. He declares to all who would listen that the path to blessedness is a road less traveled. In stark contrast…
If we want to rebuild, there will be a battle. It doesn’t matter if we are closing our personal gates to evil or helping a community recover their protection from…
In this passage, Jesus shows us that forgiveness is more than just a nice gesture. It is an essential part of being a follower of Christ. We have all been…
We are living in a time where faith, family and community have been eroded. In order for any town to be changed there needs to be miraculous reviving of these…
Life is fullest when we take the right risks. We will watch Nehemiah put it all on the line for the vision God had refined through four months of prayer…
We struggle making decisions. We struggle to know the wise right path. We struggle knowing what mission God has called us to partner with Him in this broken world. Nehemiah…
The book of Nehemiah opens with a report about a desperate situation in the city of Jerusalem. The people are in great trouble and shame and the wall and gates…
The fuel for the Christian life is Scripture. We are to be people of the book. The Bible is to be read, studied, meditated upon, and memorized. Each of these…
A way our enemy caricatures Christianity is to paint us as fun haters. By no means is this a new tactic but stretches back to the origins of our Faith.…
Motives mold us and the practice of secrecy can refine our motives and prevent us from becoming modern Pharisees who only care about appearing whitewashed. Jesus in the Sermon on…
We all feel the increase in the pace of life. With that pace we have the ability to be informed or entertained 24/7. Today there are less margins for waiting…
Americans have a love hate relationship with rest. The protestant work ethic is weaved into the DNA of our country and while it is a good servant it can become…
We realize our lives are perfectly designed for the results we are getting and so each New Year we make resolutions for different results. Edgewater’s duty is to teach a…
Philippians concludes with a brilliant understanding of the place for riches. Paul says the goal isn’t to be rich or poor but to learn to be content. He goes on…
It can be argued that we are the most anxious and stressed generation in history. Philippians 4:1-9 is the divine cure for our problems. We must remember the good, choose…
Scripture would agree with the idea that life is a journey not a destination. Often we get robbed of joy on the journey because we are focused on a mirage…
Jesus is invited to dine with the “in crowd” of religious rulers. It is an attempt to set Him up, discredit Him and bring Him down. Instead Jesus uses the…
Happiness is a treasure that people will try to steal. Philippians 3 warns us to look out for three types of thieves. Even better, Philippians 3 arms us with truth…
A picture is worth a thousand words. Paul, after two chapters, holds up Timothy and Epaphroditus as examples of what he has been preaching. He uses these two as models,…
