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On The Lord’s Day
6/14/2026
An Introduction to Christianity
This is an invitation to Christianity. Not to just understand God but to meet Him.
If you look at the world honestly, something is deeply wrong. There’s brokenness everywhere – violence, selfishness, injustice, even in the people who are supposed to do good. And we are all stuck right in the middle of it all.
On a global scale we’re dealing with wars, crime, and corruption. Within the community we’re dealing with broken relationships and hurt and pain. And on an individual level we’re dealing with anxiety, depression, emptiness.
If nothing else, I think we can all agree on this.
But if we’re being honest and transparent, the problem isn’t just ‘out there’ – it’s also in us.
We lie, we act selfishly, we know what’s right but don’t do it, we hurt people (even people we love).
In other words, “I’m not just a victim of a broken world – I contribute to it.”
The Bible calls this problem ‘sin’ and it’s not just doing bad things – it’s being disconnected from the God who created us.
We were created to live in relationship with God, but sin has separated us from Him and we’ve all gone our own way and that separation is the root of everything else.
There’s an “unplugged from power” analogy where it’s like a device that was designed to be plugged into power. When it’s unplugged, it still works for a split second but eventually it malfunctions.
We were designed for God; to be in relation with Him but sin has unplugged us from God, and the result is emptiness, confusion and broken behavior.
But here’s the bigger issue. Not only have we been separated from God due to sin, but there is also a price to pay for this sin. Romans 6:23 reads “For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.”
There’s a classic story that really helps paint the picture here called “The Righteous Judge” and the story goes that there was a famous judge who was loved by the people because he never bent the law, never showed favoritism but one day a case was brought before him…and the person standing trial was his own daughter. She was clearly guilty. The evidence was undeniable.
Now the judge has a dilemma. If he lets her go free just because he loves her, then he’s no longer a just judge-he would be corrupt. But if he enforces the law, she must pay the penalty and the daughter says, “Where’s the love?”
So, the judge does something unexpected. He declares the verdict: ‘Guilty.’ He upholds justice. Then he steps down from the bench, takes off his robe, stands beside his daughter and pays the full penalty on her behalf.
That’s a picture of what God has done for us. God is perfectly just – He can’t ignore sin. He isn’t corrupt. He is perfect. But He also loves you and me deeply.
So instead of just letting us off, He came down in the form of a human in the person of Jesus Christ and paid the penalty Himself. God sent His only Son to die on our behalf, to pay for our sins, so that we may be made right again. So that we can once again be in relationship with God…so we can be restored to Him and have eternal life with Him.
Romans 3:26 “He did it to demonstrate his righteousness at the present time, so as to be just and the one who justifies those who have faith in Jesus.”
Not only is God righteous, but possibly more importantly is that He loves you so much He was willing to sacrifice His only son when He had done no wrong.
John 3:16 “For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.”
With this understanding, it helps solve the question people often have: “Why can’t God just forgive everyone?”
This illustration shows that if God ignores sin – He’s not just. If God punishes sin only – then where’s the love?
The cross is where they both meet.
One small adjustment regarding this story is that the judge paying the fine is a limited analogy. The reality is that Jesus didn’t just pay a fine, He took on the full weight of sin and judgement. He didn’t just give His life – He endured immense suffering to do it.
This last part is the most important part – the full power is not only that Jesus died for our sins – but that He defeated death itself.
Without the resurrection it’s just a tragic death. Sin might be paid for, but death still wins.
With the resurrection sin is defeated, death is defeated and new life is possible.
So, what does this mean for you? What do I do with this?
Understand that this is an invitation to each one of you from God – turn to Him, trust in Him, and begin that new life.
This isn’t something you earn – it’s something you receive by trusting in Him.
When you truly come to Christ, your old self dies and a new life begins – and baptism is the symbol of that. And one day when this life ends, it’s not the end – it’s the beginning of eternal life.
6/7/2026
What is Holiness?
In the previous weeks we have come to understand the importance of being in relationship with God. And part of being in said relationship is to know who God is and to be in communication with Him.
God unique in His eternality, sovereignty, omnipotence, omniscience, omnipresence, self-existence, immutability, and glory.
Eternality = God has no beginning and no end. He has always existed, He exists now, and He will always exist.
Sovereignty = God has supreme authority, power and rule over all things.
Omnipotence = God is all-powerful. He has unlimited power and is able to do all that He wills according to His perfect nature.
Omniscience = God is all-knowing. God knows everything perfectly: the past, the present, and future; every thought, every motive, every action, every possibility, and every hidden thing. God never learns, forgets, misunderstands, or discovers something new.
Omnipresence = God is present everywhere at all times. God is not limited by space, distance, location, or physical boundaries.
Self-existence = God exists from Himself and depends on nothing outside Himself for life, being, or existence. Everything in creation depends on something else. Humans depend on God, air, food, water, and countless other things. Angels depend on God. The universe depends on God. But God depends on no one and nothing.
Immutability = God is unchanging in His being, character, nature, purposes, and promises. It means God never becomes more holy, less loving, more powerful, less faithful, wiser, weaker, better, or worse. He is already perfect, so He cannot improve or decline.
Glory = refers to the visible and spiritual beauty, majesty, honor, splendor, and worth of God. When we speak of God’s glory, we are talking about the greatness of who He is being revealed. God’s glory is the radiant display of His greatness, beauty, holiness, and worth.
The one attribute that most clearly expresses God’s uniqueness is His holiness.
What is Holiness?
Holiness is the unparalleled aspect of God’s nature
Holiness is the unique aspect of God’s nature that is without parallel anywhere else in the universe or simply said…the holiness of God is unique.
God’s nature: wisdom, knowledge, justice, power, and love.
In order to understand holiness, you have to understand God.
Holiness has almost nothing whatsoever to do with observing rules and regulations. It has to do with partaking of the divine nature through Christ by entering into a relationship with the God who loves us, discovering what He has called us to do, and fulfilling that call upon our lives.
What holiness is not: there is an incorrect idea by many Christians that holiness is a set of rules about where you may go, what you may eat, and how you may dress (more so in western societies).
Holiness is not defined by a list of “don’ts.” God is not holy because He follows rules outside of Himself. God is holy because He is utterly pure, morally perfect, set apart, and unlike all creation. The rules He gives flows out of His holy nature; they do not create His holiness.
Rules, commands, and boundaries do matter in Scripture. The Bible does command God’s people to flee sin, pursue purity, dress with modesty, avoid worldliness, and walk in obedience. But those things are expressions of holiness, not the deepest definition of holiness.
The danger is when people reduce holiness to outward restrictions:
“Don’t go there.”
“Don’t wear that.”
“Don’t eat this.”
“Don’t associate with them.”
Those may sometimes be wise applications depending on the situation, but they are not holiness itself. A person can avoid many outward things and still be proud, self-righteous, bitter, judgmental, lustful, greedy, or far from God in heart. Following a set of rules will not make you holy.
Hebrews 12:10 “They disciplined us for a little while as they thought best; but God disciplines us for our good, in order that we may share in his holiness.”
This verse points to something much deeper: God’s discipline is His fatherly training by which He brings us into participation with His own holiness. It is relational, transformational, and inward before it becomes outward.
God disciplines us not simply to make us rule-followers, but to make us partakers of His holiness – people who increasingly reflect His purity, righteousness, love and character.
We are to be set apart unto God and inwardly transformed by Him, so that our outward life begins to reflect His holy nature.
At its core, holiness is to be set apart for God for a special purpose, belonging to Him, and therefore marked by His character and purpose.
There is a specific word for this ‘Consecrate’ which means to dedicate something or someone formally to a sacred purpose or to make it holy. The term is often used in religious contexts to describe the act of setting apart a person, object, or place for divine service or worship. Similar to the word ‘dedicate.’
A person: ordaining a bishop, priest, or other clergy for spiritual service.
An object: blessing items like altars, chalices, or churches for sacred use.
The Eucharist: in many Christian traditions, the bread and wine are consecrated during Communion to become the body and blood of Christ.
God is holy, people and objects are holy in relation to God, Israel was responsible to be holy, holiness embodied and accomplished Jesus, Jesus makes people holy, Christians are holy and are responsible to be holy. Holiness consummated is glory.
5/10/2026
The Heart God Truly Desires
Theres the saying that there is something to learn from everyone
It encourages a posture of humility, open-mindedness, and continual growth—especially in the context of reading the Bible, where that growth becomes spiritual.
Throughout the entire Bible, we can relate to many of its characters because they, like us, are human beings walking through the struggles, questions, failures, and growth of the human experience.
The era or even the century may be very different, but it seems that the struggles and challenges, the ups and downs, and ultimately our relationship with God, or lack there of remains the same.
Though the time period and culture may be vastly different, the human experience remains familiar: the struggles, the challenges, the ups and downs, and most importantly, our relationship with God—or our distance from Him.
So today we will be reading through Matthew 12 with the human condition in mind
As we read through this chapter, keep in mind how the Pharisees attempt to attack Jesus, respond to Him, and what their attitude reveals about spiritual blindness, pride, and resistance to God.
The goal here is not to belittle the Pharisees but to recognize what Jesus truly desires from us.
(read verses 1-8)
The Pharisees are pointing out what the disciples were doing was unlawful on the Sabbath.
Jesus is basically saying: the Sabbath was never meant to become a weapon used to condemn hungry people. God’s law was given to reveal His heart, not to crush people with man-made religious rules.
Jesus also brings up David from 1 Samuel 21. David and his men were hungry and they ate the consecrated bread, which was normally reserved for priests.
Jesus is not saying David ignored God’s law casually. He is showing that human needs mattered and that God’s law was never meant to be applied without mercy.
Reminder: grace is when God gives us what we do not deserve and mercy is when God does not give us what we do deserve.
Another way to put what Jesus was saying to the Pharisees “You admire David, yet when David’s men were hungry, mercy was shown. But now My disciples are hungry, and instead of seeing their need, you are trying to condemn them.”
In verse 5 Jesus is also pointing out that duties the Pharisees perform on the Sabbath, that is also consider working on the Sabbath and yet they consider themselves innocent.
Verse 7: Jesus mentions the verse from Hosea 6:6 ‘I desire mercy, not sacrifice’
This means God is not pleased with religious behavior that lacks mercy, compassion, and love.
The Pharisees knew the rules but they didn’t know the heart of God, which leads to a hardened heart.
Huge lesson: God does care about obedience, but obedience that is separated from mercy becomes distorted. True obedience reflects God’s character.
The best part is the last part of this section in verse 8 when Jesus says “For the Son of Man is Lord of the Sabbath”
Jesus Himself is the Son of Man and He has authority over the Sabbath Himself. His love, mercy and compassion overrides it all.
(read verses 9-14)
In this passage the Pharisees are still trying to use the Sabbath as a way to accuse Jesus
When they asked “Is it lawful to heal on the Sabbath” they are not asking because they want truth. They are asking because they want evidence against Him.
You have this man with an injured hand and Jesus sees a suffering person and through His love He heals the person. His authority supersedes the law.
Jesus paints this picture that if your sheep fall into a pit on the Sabbath you won’t just be like “Sorry, it’s the Sabbath. I’ll come back tomorrow.”
That’s why its important to try stepping into someone else’s shoes. It doesn’t seem like the Pharisees thought about well what if that was my mom with an injured hand on the Sabbath.
Jesus concludes in verse 12 “Therefore it is lawful to do good on the Sabbath” meaning the Sabbath was never meant to stop people from doing what is good, merciful and compassionate.
What is interesting too about this story is that notice how Jesus simply said “Stretch out your hand” in verse 13, the man stretches it out and it is completely restored.
Jesus didn’t have some dramatic performance. He simply spoke and the man was healed.
This makes the Pharisees’ accusation look even more empty because what “work” did Jesus actually do? He spoke words of mercy and restored a man’s body.
(read verses 15-21)
Something to point out about this passage is that Jesus withdraws from conflict, but He does not withdraw from compassion.
The Pharisees are trying to kill Him at this point but He doesn’t stop caring for the people. This tells us something about His heart. Jesus was rejected by the powerful but He remained merciful toward the weak.
Another thing to point out is in verse 16 “He warned them not to tell others about him” because the people were expecting the Messiah to come as a pollical conqueror who would overthrow Rome and restore national power to Israel but Jesus wasn’t coming with military force or for a political revolution. He came as the suffering Servant who would save sinners through His death and resurrection.
Jesus told the people this to avoid the wrong kind of attention. He was not trying to build up hype or stir up the crow for political power. (does that sound familiar)
And Matthew shows us when he points out the words from prophet Isaiah when he said “Here is my servant whom I have chosen, the one I love, in whom I delight”
Since we are to be more like Jesus, may this be a reminder that Jesus’ identity was not just a miracle worker or a teacher. He is the promised Servant who comes from God, loved by the Father and filled with the Spirit. May we strive to be a loyal servant.
(read verses 22-37)
So here we have a man that was in deep bondage. He could not see. He could not speak. And the cause was connected to demonic oppression.
The momentum is building and now the crow begins to ask if Jesus could be the Son of David meaning if He is the promised Messiah. They could see His power, His compassion, His authority and now His victory over demons.
The Pharisees feel threatened and try to discredit Him. They couldn’t deny the miracle because the man was healed so they go and try to attack the source of Jesus’ power.
This shows how hardened their hearts have become. They see the mercy of God and call it demonic. They see deliverance and call it evil. They see light and accuse it of being darkness.
Jesus responds in verse 25 with “Every kingdom divided against itself will be ruined, and every city or household divided against itself will not stand.”
If Satan is using Jesus to cast out demons, then Satan is attacking his own kingdom. That would mean Satan is fighting against himself.
One of the most important lines is when Jesus said “But if it is by the Spirit of God that I drive out demons, then the kingdom of God has come upon you.”
He’s saying that the miracles are not random acts of power. They are signs that God’s reign has arrived in Him. The kingdom of God is not merely a future hope but it was breaking into the present moment through the person and ministry of Jesus.
In verse 31 we are reminded of the unforgiveable sin: blasphemy against the Holy Spirit.
In the context of this whole chapter, Jesus is speaking directly to the Pharisees’ hardened rejection.
The Pharisees had seen the work of Jesus. They saw a man get delivered. They saw God’s mercy and power. But instead of repenting, they called the work of the Holy Spirit demonic.
Blasphemy against the Holy Spirit is not an accidental wrong though, a moment of doubt, or a believer fearing they have gone too far.
It is a hardened, willful, settled rejection of the Holy Spirit’s testimony about Jesus to the point where someone sees the work of God and calls it evil.
The danger is that a heart can become so hardened that it refuses to repent.
If a person is worried, convicted, and wants mercy, their concern itself shows they are not coldly rejecting the Spirit’s witness to Christ.
In verse 34 “…For the mouth speaks what the heart is full of” tells us that words are not just words but they reveal what is stored inside of us.
A heart filled with pride, bitterness, unbelief, envy, and hatred will eventually speak from that storehouse. A heart filled with faith, humility, mercy, and love will also reveal itself through speech.
That does not mean every careless word perfectly defines a person forever. But it does mean our speech is spiritually serious because it exposes what is happening within us.
The Bible is clear that salvation is by grace through faith in Christ. But our words matter because they reveal whether our heart has truly been changed. Speech becomes evidence of what is inside us.
(read verses 38-45)
The Pharisees want to see a sign from Jesus. They are basically saying do something impressive enough for us and maybe we will consider believing You.
Jesus shows them that the real issue is that their hearts are unfaithful to God. They want a miracle but they will not surrender. They want evidence but they will not repent.
Jesus refuses to perform signs on their terms but does mention one particular sign: the sign of Jonah.
There is the reflection between the story of Jonah and the death and resurrection of Jesus. Jonah was in the belly of the fish and came out three days later. Jesus would go into death and come out three days later.
This must’ve been really hard for the Pharisees to accept. Their hearts were already hardened. They already didn’t believe what they saw and now this man named Jesus is telling them He will die and rise up three days later.
The Queen of the South refers to the Queen of Sheba from 1 Kings 10.
She traveled a great distance to hear the wisdom of Solomon. When she saw Solomon’s wisdom and kingdom, she was amazed.
The Queen of Sheba had less revelation, but she responded with awe.
The religious leaders had the Messiah Himself in front of them, but they responded with suspicion, accusation, and rejection.
Solomon was known for wisdom, wealth, glory, and kingship.
But Jesus says He is greater than Solomon. Jesus is greater in wisdom. Greater in kingship. Greater in glory. Greater in authority. Greater in salvation.
Solomon was a wise king but Jesus is the eternal King.
Solomon had wisdom from God but Jesus is the wisdom of God.
Jesus is showing them again that the problem is not that they lack evidence but that they refuse to recognize who is standing before them.
Jesus’ final warning in this passage is that outward religion without inward transformation leaves a person spiritually empty and vulnerable and in great danger.
(read verses 46-50)
At first, this can sound disrespectful, but Jesus is not dishonoring Mary or rejecting His family. That would contradict God’s command to honor father and mother.
Instead, Jesus is using the moment to teach something greater: The kingdom of God creates a family deeper than natural bloodline.
Jesus is not saying earthly family does not matter. He is saying spiritual relationship to God matters even more.
Jesus looks at His disciples — those who are following Him, listening to Him, learning from Him, and submitting to Him — and He calls them His family.
The key verse: “For whoever does the will of my Father in heaven is my brother and sister and mother.”
Jesus defines His true family as those who do the will of His Father. But this needs to be understood carefully. Jesus is not teaching salvation by works, as if people earn their place in God’s family by doing enough good things. Rather, He is saying that true belonging to God is revealed by a heart that responds to God. Those who truly receive Christ will begin to obey the Father’s will.
Obedience does not earn the relationship. Obedience reveals the relationship.
To do the Father’s will means to believe the One He sent, listen to His words, follow Him, and live under His authority. (the Pharisees missed every single part of this)
God’s true family is not defined by religious appearance, natural heritage, or social position. It is defined by faith-filled obedience to the Father through Christ.
True discipleship is not a casual association with Jesus. It is a life surrendered to the Father’s will.
5/3/2026
How can I be assured that I am saved?
Do you have any genuine affection for the biblical Jesus?
The Overarching Vision of Jesus:
The Sermon on the Mount starts from Matthew 5 with the Beatitudes and ends in Matthew 7 with a stark warning. With the Beatitudes Jesus is describing the inner character of Kingdom citizens that form from a transformed heart – it reshapes how we influence the world, how we live, how we relate to God, and ultimately reveals itself in the direction of our lives.
But towards the end of this sermon, there is a warning from Jesus when He says that there will be those that aren’t saved because He never knew them.
Matthew 7:21-23 “Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only the ones who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. Many will say to me on that day, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name and in your drive out demons and in your name perform many miracles? Then I will tell them plainly, ‘I never knew you. Away from me, you evildoers!’
This passage is heavy and it should demand your attention along with asking questions. What does this mean? Do I fall in this category? How do I correct myself? How do I make sure I’m on the right track?
Ever since I was reminded of this verse I’ve been on a little side quest to making sure I’m on the right track because I don’t want to end up being unsaved and the whole time I was convinced that I was.
There are four types of people:
Those who aren’t saved and know that they aren’t saved
Those who aren’t saved and don’t know that they aren’t saved
Those who are saved and know they are saved
Those who are unsaved who are convinced they are saved (due to false assurance)
In this passage at the end of Matthew 7, Jesus specifically warns us about this false assurance: it is possible to think you are right with God…and not be.
We need to know what salvation really is and what it requires.
Matthew 7:21-23 “Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven…Many will say to me on that day, ‘Did we not prophesy…cast out demons…do many mighty works in your name?’ And then I will declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from me, you workers of lawlessness.’”
The people that fall into this fourth group thought they were saved. They thought they did the right things but not only was the works not the answer to salvation…there was no real relationship with God and that’s why he says ‘I never knew you.’
“Stranger Son” analogy
The son knows his father’s name. He tells others, “That’s my dad” and he might even do things connected to the family name but he never spends time with his father, he ignores his father’s voice, there’s no real relationship, no intimacy, no obedience.
Then one day he shows up expecting closeness – and the father says: “You’ve used my name…but you’ve never actually known me.”
“Performing Child” analogy
A child grows up trying to impress their parent: gets good grades, wins awards, does things “in the parent’s name”
But never actually develops a relationship, doesn’t listen, trust or love the parent, everything is about performance, not connection.
At some point the parent might say: “You did all these things but you never actually had a relationship with me.”
Going back to Matthew 7 – Jesus didn’t say “You didn’t do enough” or “You didn’t try hard enough” instead He says: “I never knew you”
That word “knew” is relational: not awareness as in “I’ve heard of you” but intimacy, connection, real relationship.
In Genesis 4:1 it reads “Now Adam knew Eve his wife, and she conceived and bore Cain…” and in other translations it reads “Adam made love to his wife Eve” so it means deep, personal, intimate relationship. It’s one of the strongest ways the Bible expresses closeness and union.
So when Jesus says “I never knew you” He’s not saying “I’ve never heard of you,” He’s saying “There was never a real relationship between us.”
In the Bible, to be “known” by God isn’t about recognition – it’s about relationship.
Salvation is not merely knowing facts about God or agreeing that He exists (guess what…the demons and fallen angels do all that already and they aren’t making their way in)
It’s about knowing God personally and being in a real relationship with Him.
Knowing God and not just doing or saying.
Knowing that you are saved by grace (you didn’t earn it, you aren’t good enough) but that Christ has done it and I trust Him.
One sentence: We must personally know the One who saves us, by truly trusting in the way He saves.
True salvation is knowing the biblical Jesus, and trusting Him alone (by grace), which results in a real relationship with God.
And this is where it gets deeper because there will be many people who claim to love Jesus and have affection for Him but only as it fits into the framework of how they define who Jesus is.
What does this mean? A person can feel emotional toward Jesus, speak positively about Him, even say they love Him but still reject parts of what He teaches, ignore His authority, redefine Him to be more comfortable.
It’s like saying “I love my dad” but: you ignore what he says, you reject who he actually is, you only accept the parts of him you life. You don’t actually love him you love your idea of him.
This deserves your attention because the danger here is subtle, not obvious. Most people who reshape Jesus don’t think they’re doing it.
So the goal here isn’t to tell people “don’t do that” but to give them a way to check themselves.
1. Always refer back to the Scriptures.
a. Most people naturally gravitate toward verses they like or ideas that affirm them but if your view of Jesus never challenges you, it’s probably incomplete. Any passages that confronts you or you want to ignore should probably be looked into. That’s where the real Jesus shows up. If your view of Jesus doesn’t challenge you, it’s likely because you’ve shaped Him to fit you, rather than allowing Him to reshape you.
b. An easy way to remind yourself is everything you’re doing is wrong
c. If someone’s version of Jesus always agrees with them, never confronts their lifestyle, never forces them to rethink anything, never calls them to change then their version of Jesus is distorted.
d. Jesus will challenge your pride, challenge your desires, challenge your reactions (mercy and forgiveness), and your priorities
2. Know the whole Jesus not just selective traits
a. Love, grace, holiness, authority, judgement, call to repentance
3. Anchor everything in the actual words of Jesus
a. Read the Bible and find out what did Jesus actually say
4. The 3-Question Test: do I ignore parts of Jesus’ teaching that are uncomfortable, do I treat Jesus as advisor or as authority and is my life adjusting to Him or am I adjusting Him to me?
5. Submission, not just admiration
a. Following Jesus means we surrender, there’s obedience and there’s transformation
6. Spend some time and look into the Scriptures. Do you recall anything that has corrected you? Have you been shaped by Jesus?
7. Am I willing to follow the real Jesus – even when it costs me?
The Beatitudes are the specific character traits that reveal the kind of heart that knows God intimately and everything that follows in the sermon builds on top of that.
We as citizens of the Kingdom shall live under the reign and by doing so means to live by the Beatitudes. Not to just talk about being a Christian or to just say I believe in Jesus but live a very corrupt life.
If you obey God with your body but not your heart, you are still a law breaker because you are warping the commands of God with your improper motives.
Jesus points out to the Pharisees in Matthew 15 that their obedience is lawlessness because their hearts were far from God. Their obedience is to God’s commands (outward obedience) which is lawlessness because their hearts are far from Jesus.
The million dollar question: how is it possible to obey God’s commands and at the same time be far from Him in your heart?
Answer: when you reduce the words of God and treat them like propositional statements that are divorced from covenant relationship, you end up knowing a lot about the word of God while completely missing the God of the Word.
Earlier we mentioned the structure of faith – Beatitudes – Kingdom life. If we look at the Scribes and Pharisees, they were missing all of it. There was something deeply wrong at the level of their heart.
If faith is having a relationship with God, they definitely lacked it. They knew about God but didn’t truly know Him.
If Beatitudes is the evidence of that relationship, they definitely lacked it. Naturally it was absent because the inner transformation wasn’t there.
If Kingdom life is living out this transformed heart, they definitely lacked it. What they displayed instead was a performance of righteousness.
Takeaway: the contrast is not between believers and atheists. It’s between believers and believers; both types of people who are being contrasted here appear to obey God…at least on the outside. The difference is what the heart looks like between the disciples and the hypocrites. If you obey God with your body but not with your heart, you are still a lawbreaker because you warp the commands of God with your improper motives.
Jesus is painting the image of the Kingdom of God…He is describing what it looks like when God’s reign takes hold of the community of citizens.
The Beatitudes are not just moral instructions or a checklist of behaviors. Jesus is describing what the inner condition of the citizens looks like if you belong to the Kingdom of God.
The poor in spirit, the meek, the merciful, the peacemakers, the ones who hunger and thirst for righteousness, the pure in heart. These are not random descriptors but instead are the specific character traits that reveal the kind of heart that knows God intimately.
More specifically…it reveals a heart transformed
“Poor in spirit” → recognizes spiritual need → opens the door to knowing God
“Mourn” → grieves over sin → aligns emotionally with God’s heart
“Meek” → submits to God → no longer self-ruled
“Hunger and thirst for righteousness” → desires God deeply
“Merciful” → reflects God’s own mercy outward
“Pure in heart” → undivided devotion → “they shall see God” (this is the clearest link to intimacy)
“Peacemakers” → participate in God’s reconciling work
“Persecuted” → remain faithful under pressure → proving the relationship is real
These are not traits you adopt to get to know God. These are traits that emerge because you do know God.
This is what it looks like living under God’s reign rather than merely talking about it.
Structure – faith, Beatitudes, Kingdom life
Faith begins the relationship with God; the Beatitudes then serve as the evidence of that relationship, revealing a transformed heart. From that transformed heart, the life of the Kingdom is lived out in everyday obedience and alignment with God’s will.
4/19/2026
Beatitudes
The Beatitudes, found in Jesus' Sermon on the Mount, are eight declarations of "blessedness" that defines the character of citizens in the Kingdom of Heaven. It provides a roadmap for Christian living, emphasizing humility, mercy, purity, and perseverance in trials.
When it comes to Kingdom theology: the Beatitudes are the King's declaration of blessing upon His citizens. They describe the culture, values, and rewards of the Kingdom of Heaven.
You can also view it from a different angle: regarding the Beatitudes, if this is your posture toward the King, this is the covenant blessing you inherit in His Kingdom.
Each Beatitude follows a pattern: there's the condition (identity/heart posture) ➔ promise (Kingdom blessing)
In this passage from Matthew 5:3-12, Jesus is describing who belongs to the Kingdom, the character of Kingdom citizens, and the blessings attached to Kingdom life.
Notice:
These eight blessings are not material promises.
They are spiritual, relational, and eternal promises.
Some are present ("theirs is the kingdom").
Some are future ("they shall be ... " "they will. .. ").
Jesus is essentially saying "These are the true citizens of My Kingdom - and here is how heaven rewards them."
"Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven."
The phrase "poor in spirit" does not mean: financial poverty, low self-esteem, weak personality, false humility.
The Greek word used for "poor" means utterly dependent, like a beggar with nothing to offer.
So "poor in spirit" means a person who recognizes their spiritual bankruptcy before God and their total dependence on Him.
This is especially true in modern culture, which tells you: be self-made, be confident, project strength, never admit weakness.
The Kingdom begins with humility and dismantles an ego-driven identity.
We submit to the King and depend entirely on His rule, provision, and mercy.
This first Beatitude is telling us that you enter the Kingdom by acknowledging that you cannot save yourself and you have no righteousness of your own, you come before God empty handed and your inner posture says "God, I have nothing without you."
Jesus places this as the first Beatitude because it is the doorway into the Kingdom.
You cannot enter a Kingdom if:
You think you can deserve it, earned it, or that you are already spiritually rich.
"Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted."
This does not primarily mean general sadness or everyday disappointments.
Jesus is speaking about spiritual mourning.
The Greek word used refers to deep grief, even the kind experienced at a funeral.
This means blessed are those who grieve over sin - both personal and societal brokenness.
This mourning is a type of mourning over personal sin. Not just guilt but godly sorrow.
Paul says in 2 Corinthians 7:1 O "Godly sorrow brings repentance that leads to salvation and leaves no regret, but worldly sorrow brings death."
This mourning is also a type of mourning over a fallen world: all the injustices, idolatry, moral decay, and spiritual blindness.
A Kingdom citizen feels the weight of what sin has done to God's creation.
Modern culture says: avoid discomfort, suppress guilt, redefine sin, "Don't feel bad -you're fine."
Jesus says: the path to comfort begins with holy grief.
The world numbs sorrow. The Kingdom transforms it.
"Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth."
Meek is often misunderstood. It does not mean: weak, passive, timid, easily pushed around.
It is strength under control- a humble submission to God's authority.
Analogy: a wild horse that has been trained. Still powerful, but now under control.
So a meek person is: strong, but not self-willed; capable, but surrendered; assertive when needed, but not driven by pride.
Spiritually speaking: meekness is a posture toward God and others:
Toward God: "Your will, not mine," trusting His timing and justice, not forcing your own way.
Toward others: not retaliating, not needing to prove yourself, not dominated by anger or pride.
Meekness includes: trusting God instead of taking matters into your own hands.
So if you can be powerful, but under control...you will inherit the earth.
Inherit is covenant language: like heirs receiving what belongs to the Father. It echoes God's promises to Abraham.
The world says: take control, assert dominance, fight for your place, win at all costs.
Jesus is saying: those who don't grasp for power now will reign later.
Meekness is loyalty expressed through trust and submission and inheritance is the King's reward to His faithful people.
"Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be filled."
This is not casual interest - it's intense, driving desire.
Jesus uses the strongest human cravings: hunger (need for food), thirst (need for water).
These are survival-level desires.
This Beatitude: a deep, ongoing craving for righteousness - as necessary as food and water. It's a deep longing for God's moral order and justice.
There are three levels to what righteousness includes:
• Right standing with God (justification)
o Being made right before God
o Forgiven, accepted, declared righteous
• Right living before God (sanctification)
o A life aligned with God's will
o Obedience from the heart
• Right order in the cosmos
o Longing for a world where God's rule is fully expressed
This hunger and thirst is a constant spiritual appetite where we as Kingdom citizens:
Desires God more than comfort, longs to live righteously (not just appear righteous), feels dissatisfaction with sin and keeps pursuing.
Filled means fully satisfied, completely nourished.
It will be a reality with complete satisfaction, a fully righteous Kingdom, no more sin, corruption or injustice.
The world says: hunger for success, thirst for pleasure, chase comfort, status, and control.
Jesus says: the truly satisfied life belongs to those who crave righteousness.
"Blessed are the merciful, for they shall receive mercy."
Mercy is not just kindness. It is compassion expressed through action toward those in need, especially those who don't deserve it.
It includes:
Forgiving those who wrong you
Showing compassion to the suffering
Withholding deserved judgement
Acting to relieve someone's burden
Mercy is love responding to misery.
What mercy is not: not ignoring sin, not enabling wrongdoing ,not being naive or without boundaries
True mercy sees sin clearly but chooses compassion over condemnation
God leads by example. He asks us to be merciful just as He has shown us.
You were shown mercy by God
You didn't deserve forgiveness
You are living by grace
Jesus forgave sinners, healed the broken, welcomed the outcasts
A merciful person is someone who lives as a conduit of the mercy they have received.
The covenant principle behind this beatitude is that those who reflect the King's character continue to experience His covenant blessings.
This is not saying you earn God's mercy by being merciful but that those who truly belong to the Kingdom will live in ongoing mercy.
The world says: get even, hold grudges, protect yourself, make people pay
Jesus says: the ones who give mercy are the ones who truly live in it.
"Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God."
Pure means clean, undivided, unmixed
Heart in Scripture refers to the inner person (thoughts, desires, motives, will)
This Beatitude means a person whose inner life is clean and fully devoted to God – not divided between God and other loyalties.
Jesus is not talking about looking pure but being pure at the core.
We shall have a heart that wants God above all.
There's an Old Testament connection to this Beatitude in Psalm 24:3-4 "Who shall ascend the mountain of the Lord? Who may stand in his holy place? The one who has clean hands and a pure heart, who does not trust in an idol or swear by a false god."
In the old covenant, purity was tied to approaching God's presence but now Jesus has internalized it. It is no longer a ritual cleanliness but a heart condition.
The promise here is: the pure in heart gain access to what humanity was created for – seeing and knowing God.
God looks at the heart and rewards inner purity with His presence.
Jesus is the fulfillment of this.
Jesus alone is perfectly pure in heart
No divided motives
No hidden corruption
Complete devotion to the Father
And through Him: we are made clean and given access to God.
"Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God."
A peacemaker is not:
Someone who avoids conflict, who keeps everyone happy or who compromises truth
Biblically, a peacemaker is someone who actively works to bring reconciliation where there is division- especially between people and God, and between people and others.
Peacekeeper: avoids tension
Peacemaker: enters tension to restore what's broken
Peacemaking involves:
Confronting sin when necessary
Speaking truth in love
Helping restore relationships
Leading others toward reconciliation with God
A peacemaker works toward restoring God's intended order under His Kingdom.
Peacemakers shall be called sons of God meaning we will be recognized as belonging to God, bearing His likeness and representing His character.
In other words, peacemakers are visibly identified as belonging to God because they act like Him.
God Himself is the ultimate peacemaker (Romans 5:1 O "While we were enemies we were reconciled to God...")
Jesus as the ultimate peacemaker (Colossians 1 :20 "Making peace through the blood of His cross...")
Jesus reconciled humanity to God and bore the cost of peace on the cross.
God didn't avoid conflict- He resolved it at the highest cost.
The world says: choose sides, win arguments, cancel opponents, protect your position
Jesus says: the true sons of God are those who restore what is broken.
In Kingdom terms: the King establishes peace in His Kingdom and the citizens participate in extending that peace.
"Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness' sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven."
Persecuted for righteousness' sake does not mean suffering for personal mistakes, being disliked for personality, or general hardship
Jesus is very specific: this is suffering that comes as a direct result of living in alignment with God's righteousness and loyalty to Christ.
Suffering: insults, false accusations, rejection because of Jesus
Living as a true Kingdom citizen will eventually bring conflict with the world because the Kingdom has different values, the King has different authority, and righteousness confronts sin.
The promise "theirs is the kingdom of heaven" is the same as the first Beatitude.
This creates a "frame" connecting back to the first Beatitude and everything in between describes the true citizens of the Kingdom
First- if the Kingdom truly belongs to you (v.3)
Middle-this is what your life will progressively look like (vv.4-9)
Last- and this is how it will be tested (v.10)
Another way to look at it
First-Who enters the Kingdom
Middle - What they become •
Last-What happens to them
The world says: avoid suffering, protect your reputation, blend in, stay safe
Jesus says: if you are rejected for righteousness, you are truly blessed
Jesus lived perfectly righteous and yet was rejected, mocked and crucified. He is the ultimate embodiment of the is Beatitude.
In summary, the Beatitudes are not telling you “Do this to become blessed" but rather, this is what the blessed - the true citizens of the Kingdom - look like, and these are the promises they inherit.
The logical flow
The Beatitudes build on each other:
1. Poor in spirit- I recognize my spiritual bankruptcy
2. Those who mourn - I grieve over that condition.
(You don't mourn unless you first realize your need)
3. Those who meek- I now submit to God's rule.
(You stop trying to be your own king)
4. Hunger and thirst- I now desire what God desires
(this Beatitude marks a shift from surrender to passion)
5. Merciful- I now extend what I've received
(this is the turning point from inward transformation to outward expression)
6. Pure in heart- I become inwardly aligned
(now you get to experience God Himself)
7. Peacemaker-I now actively advance the Kingdom
(this is the shift into mission)
8. Persecuted - I remain faithful under pressure
(this is the completion of the Kingdom life cycle)
2/15/2026
The Mustard Seed and The Kingdom of God
Matthew 13:31-32 He told them another parable: “The kingdom of heaven is like a mustard seed, which a man took and planted in his field. Though it is the smallest of all seeds, yet when it grows, it is the largest of garden plants and becomes a tree, so that the birds come and perch in its branches.”
Jesus intentionally chooses insignificance as the starting point.
To His audience:
The Messiah was expected to arrive with power, authority, and visible dominance.
The Kingdom of God was expected to overthrow Rome and restore Israel immediately.
To a certain degree you can say the Jews almost had it right: they couldn’t believe Jesus was the Son of God when He came and was born in a manger, raised in Nazareth (an unimpressive town), a carpenter’s son, without royal appearance, a teacher traveling on foot or rode on a donkey, washed His disciples’ feet and ultimately crucified as a criminal.
In Revelation: dressed in a long robe with a golden sash, eyes like blazing fire, feet like burnished bronze glowing in a furnace, a sharp double edged sword coming from His mouth, face shining like the sun in full strength, riding on a white horse, with many crowns on His head.
He comes back as a conquering King, a righteous Judge, a divine Warrior, as the visible glory of God. Very different from the humble carpenter of Nazareth and the suffering Lamb of the cross.
Instead, Jesus says: God’s Kingdom starts like something you could lose between your fingers. This directly undercuts human expectations of how God works.
God does not begin where humans would consider “impressive.
The Hidden Growth (God Works Quietly)
The mustard seed:
Is planted
Disappears underground
It quietly grows out of sight
No fanfare. No spectacle. No announcement.
This mirrors:
Jesus’ own ministry (a carpenter from Nazareth)
The disciples (uneducated fishermen)
The early church (small, persecuted, unseen)
Just like a mustard seed is planted, disappears underground, and grows unseen before becoming visible, Jesus’ ministry followed the same pattern. He began in obscurity, lived thirty hidden years, ministered with a small group of disciples, and even appeared to “fail” at the cross – yet through His resurrection, that hidden work became a worldwide Kingdom. What looked small and unnoticed was actually God’s unstoppable growth.
Same goes for the disciples. They were like the hidden roots of the Kingdom. What looked like an insignificant group in Gailee became, through God’s power, the foundation of a global movement. Jesus didn’t choose a group of scholars. He chose fishermen and built them up.
The early church started as a small, frightened group gathered in an upper room. There were no buildings, no political influence, no cultural power. Yet through quiet faithfulness, persecution, and Spirit-empowered witness, what began as a hidden movement in Jerusalem spread across the Roman Empire and beyond.
The Kingdom grows invisibly before it grows visibly.
That’s a massive lesson for believers who feel:
Unnoticed
Ineffective
Spiritually “small”
God is setting a theme here:
Small input —> overwhelming result (it’s not just with the mustard seed)
This reinforces a consistent biblical pattern:
David vs. Goliath
Gideon’s army
The 12 disciples to becoming the early church
God delights in outcomes that cannot be explained by the starting material.
God shrinks the input so the output magnifies His power.
The parable shows us:
The Kingdom does not arrive fully formed
It starts small, hidden, and unimpressive
Its growth is inevitable and God-driven
Its final scope is far greater than expected
This parable teaches patience, trust, and proper expectation.
This parable also speaks directly to:
Slow spiritual growth
Quiet obedience
Faithfulness without visible results
Jesus is saying: Don’t despise the small, the unseen, or the unimpressive – that’s how My Kingdom works.
1 Corinthians 1:27 “God chose the foolish things of the world to shame the wise; God chose the weak things of the world to shame the strong.”
Paul is not saying believers are literally stupid or weak:
He means:
Those the world considers insignificant
Those without status
Those without power
Those without philosophical prestige
God intentionally works through them.
And the “shame” here means:
Expose
Reveal
Overturn false confidence
God exposes the emptiness of worldly pride.
Human wisdom cannot save. Human strength cannot redeem. Human status cannot justify.
Salvation is entirely God’s work.
God gets all the glory.
2/8/2026
Faith (not) as small as a mustard seed…
That is the common phrase we hear from Matthew 17:20
“Because you have so little faith. Truly I tell you, if you have faith as small as a mustard seed, you can say to this mountain, ‘Move from here to there,’ and it will move. Nothing will be impossible for you.”
(Read Matthew 17:14-20)
“I brought my son to your disciples, and they could not heal him.”
This is crucial context because back in Matthew 10 the disciples had already been given authority
This wasn’t new territory for them. They had past experiences of casting out demons.
Their failure was not due to lack of permission but lack of dependence on God. That dependence is expressed through prayer, because prayer is how we remain connected to God rather than operating on our own strength.
Also, this is not implying prayer is some sort of magical requirement. Prayer is not the source of power. You don’t just remember to say some simple prayer to activate this authority. Prayer is the posture of dependence and without it, authority becomes ineffective. God is the source and prayer is the channel of dependence.
Jesus was pointing out: spiritual dullness, reliance on formulas instead of faith, power without prayerful dependence
Matthew 17:18 “Jesus rebuked the demon, and it came out of him, and the boy was healed instantly.”
Notice: No ritual, No delay, No struggle
Jesus operated from perfect alignment with the Father.
The disciples most likely tried to repeat what had worked before. They relied on past success. They acted on muscle memory instead of dependence on God.
They treated power like a sword, like a tool, not a relationship.
Your relationship with God through prayer IS the power.
Reminder: authority comes through relationship. Relationship is not a gift. It’s an effort.
Authority is as deep as your relationship with God. Authority is the result of being one with Him.
Jesus wasn’t saying:
You didn’t believe hard enough, You need more emotional intensity, You need bigger faith
What He is saying: Your faith was misplaced, Your faith was passive, Your faith was self-reliant
Faith is not a switch you flip – it’s a posture you live in.
Application questions:
Where have I started relying on past spiritual victories?
Am I praying before acting – or only after failing?
Have I turned faith into a technique instead of a relationship?
Authority was granted once, power was delegated once and the mission was approved once so you don’t have to get permission each time. Moving forward, your life needs to be in constant relationship with God through prayer. This shows how important prayer is.
Permission was given once but dependence must be practiced continually.
Spiritual authority flows not from what God once gave you, but from how closely you are walking with Him now.
In Greek and Latin the accurate translation for Matthew 17:20
“Because you have so little faith. Truly I tell you, if you have faith like (of faith as) a mustard seed, you can say to this mountain, ‘Move from here to there,’ and it will move. Nothing will be impossible for you.”
Greek: as a grain of mustard
Latin: like a grain of mustard
What is the significance of the mustard seed?
Mustard plants which grow from mustard seeds can grow very large, up to 6-10 feet in the fertile soils and warm climates of the Middle East. Others mention 10-15 feet and another up to 20 feet.
A “mustard tree” isn’t a real woody tree but it’s a plant. But you can understand why it gets mistaken for a tree when it grows up to 6-10 feet.
Ability to thrive in and endure harsh conditions, including extreme temperatures and low water availability.
Also known for rapid growth…huge plant within a year and up to 20 feet within a few years.
The mustard seed is tiny and mighty. When planted it can grow into this massive tree-like plant and when it grows, the roots grow so deep and spread so wide that it overtakes the things around it. It becomes this situation where it’s almost impossible to get all the roots out. It will thrive in the toughest environment.
So if we have a more accurate understanding of what Jesus is saying here “faith like a mustard seed” then He could be referring to faith that when planted sprouts massively and is rooted so deep in God that it spreads to everyone around it and continues to thrive no matter how hard the situation or the environment.
What if that’s the kind of faith that can move a mountain?
Self-evaluation: will you be content with a small, safe life – the equivalent of pretty yellow flowers when God has called us to be sources of strength, support, and growth for others?
It’s usually our own fears, doubts, and “what ifs,” along with giving up and loss of hope that creates this smallness.
First we build up our relationship with God. Be in constant prayer and communication with Him. This builds up the faith. This builds up the power.
And just imagine from there what big plans God has for us.
“The Lord didn’t want Sarah to only have a baby. He wanted her to dream big so that He could bless her with an entire nation.”
Sarah’s dream was just to have a child, but God’s plan was so much bigger – an entire nation.
Imagine what He could do with your mustard seed of faith.
Analogy of customer, customer’s insurance company and customer’s attorney
When a customer tries to file a claim with an insurance company to receive proper compensation, the company often knows how far it can push back and may make the process difficult or intimidating. However, when the customer hires an attorney, everything changes. The attorney understands the law, and the insurance company knows it—making it much harder for them to delay, deny, or minimize the payout.
Now imagine the customer spending time with that attorney—building a close relationship, learning the legal language, understanding what to say, what to do, and how to respond throughout the case. That knowledge and proximity bring confidence and authority.
The same principle applies spiritually: humans are the customer, God is the attorney, and demons are like the insurance company. The deeper our relationship with God, the greater the authority and spiritual strength we carry, making it far more difficult for the enemy to operate against us.
1/11/2026
The Cost of Discipleship
When it comes to your faith there will be seasons when you feel weak or there may be pockets of doubts. Sometimes God goes quiet or He feels distant. Maybe you feel like you’ve plateaued in your faith or maybe it feels like something is missing.
What I would challenge you to look into is what does your relationship with the Holy Spirit look like? Is the Holy Spirit of God alive in you right now?
There are a few things to consider:
Imagine you’re inviting a very special guest to come stay in your home. I’m sure you would scrub that place from top to bottom. Our soul is like our home. And we’re inviting the Holy Spirit of God to come stay with us.
If we are corrupted and filled with sin, the sin is like mold and mildew that has stained the walls, saturated the carpets, caused the air to be musty, along with all the questionable things in the basement.
So ask yourself: is your soul a suitable place for the Holy Spirit?
We should all have some level of cleaning we need to go through. This starts with confessing our sins and going through repentance. There needs to be a firm intention to change, to do better.
OR
Imagine the love of your life invites you to come stay in their home and you’re all excited but when you get there you find the rooms are filled with other people and their things. The person you really wanted to be with their attention is spread out and occupied among all the other things going on in the home and it hits you right away that you’re just one thing among many.
So ask yourself: what does your ‘home’ look like? What is it filled with? Will God have your full attention when He comes to stay or will your attention be spread out and your home be filled with many things of distraction?
OR
Another way to look at it is that God designed your body as a temple and in that temple is an altar only for Himself. What are all the idols that are cluttering your heart that you worship?
1 Corinthians 6:19-20 “Do you not know that your bodies are temples of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God? You are not your own; you were bought at a price. Therefore honor God with your bodies.”
1 Corinthians 3:16 “Don’t you know that you yourselves are God’s temple and that God’s Spirit dwells in your midst?”
Romans 12:1 “Therefore, I urge you, brothers and sisters, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God—this is your true and proper worship.”
The attachments are all those unhealthy, excessive desires for some worldly thing that gets in the way to you uniting with God.
If you want to know if you are attached to something just visualize how hard it would be to let go of that said attachment. Imagine if that thing were taken away. If that causes you some kind of pain or sadness, then it’s an attachment and it’s something standing between you and God.
Attachments can be a million different things: it can be our cars, our clothes, our homes. They can be our ambitions like our careers, our success, our bank account. We can be attached to some need like our need for approval, to be praised, to be seen a certain way. You can be attached to patterns of thinking like overthinking, negativity, obsessing that your life has to be a certain way. It can be how you get your dopamine hits…from alcohol to drugs to scrolling Tik Tok. Even the good things in life can be an attachment: your lover, your body (gym), or even for some people the ministry itself has become the attachment and God is no longer the center of it all.
The Rich and The Kingdom of God
Matthew 19:16-29
Jesus exposes what prevents people from entering the Kingdom of God – not wealth itself, but what wealth does to the heart when it replaces God.
1 – The Question
In this story we have the rich young ruler who is a man that is morally upright, religious and sincere.
His question reveals a works-based mindset: What must I do?
He assumes eternal life is earned, not received.
External obedience does NOT mean a surrendered heart.
2 – Jesus Exposes the Heart
“Sell all that you have, give to the poor, and follow Me.”
Jesus isn’t saying salvation is earned by poverty or that all believers must sell everything.
Jesus is identifying the man’s functional god.
Wealth was not his possession – it was what possessed him.
Jesus targets the one thing that competes with God for lordship.
The issue is attachment, not assets, not how much he had or how nice his things were.
3 – The Man Walks Away Grieved
“He went away sorrowful, for he had great possessions.”
This man wanted eternal life but not at the cost of control, security, or identity, which were all bound to his wealth.
He loved God but not supremely, not exclusively.
4 – The Camel and the Eye of the Needle
“How difficult it is for the rich to enter the kingdom of God”
Jesus said “Again I tell you, it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for someone who is rich to enter the kingdom of God.”
Jesus is saying that human self-reliance cannot enter the Kingdom.
Wealth amplifies the illusion of independence. We think that the more wealth we have the more we are in control and independent from society, the machine, whatever you want to call it but on the contrary, the more wealth you have the more you are bound to it, the more you want to hold on to it, the more it possess you.
To have wealth is fine, it does bring a level of comfort to life, but don’t allow it to possess you. Don’t allow it to stand between you and God. Do not allow it to be your god. Don’t allow it to be the attachment.
Satan will test you and find your weakness and lure you towards it, which pushes you further away from God.
The disciples asked a valid question when they said, “Who then can be saved?” and Jesus responded by saying “With man this is impossible, but with God all things are possible.”
Salvation is humanly impossible. The Kingdom is entered only by grace.
Major Takeaways
Wealth is spiritually dangerous but not automatically sinful. It can quietly replace trust in God with trust in self.
The Kingdom requires surrender, not moral achievement. Obedience without surrender still falls short. The rich man was obedient but not willing to surrender.
Jesus confronts the idol. Whatever competes with Christ for first place must be surrendered.
Salvation is impossible by human effort – only grace saves.
Following Jesus will cost you something but it also gives everything.
You can look at it this way: the question is not “What must I give up?” but “Who do I trust?”
The tragedy with the rich man wasn’t that he had wealth but that he trusted it more than Jesus.
This is another lesson on sanctification – to be made holy means there has to be change since we aren’t already holy, which means there’s ongoing transformation and in this case there’s a heart surrender and there’s the letting go of what possess you.
“Who or what rules over my life now?”
Sanctification exposes what still competes with Christ.
For believers, unforgiven sin is not unpaid sins – it is unsubmitted areas of the heart.
Jesus said, “If you want to follow me, deny yourself. If you want to find your life, you have to lose your life.”
Deny yourself of your attachments, what possess you, what you trust more than God.
If you want eternal life, you have to lose this life here with all these things.
The little pleasures and indulgences is where Satan dwells. Spend time and ask yourself what is it you can deny? Maybe you start off with one less bite of the cake then later it becomes denying the whole piece of cake late at night. Maybe it’s denying yourself that much TV time, or stop scrolling as much. This takes discipline and sacrifice but it also builds character.
Pray for God to show you your attachments. When they are revealed to you mentally vision the altar in your soul with these attachments on there. Then pray for God to show you how to let go of those attachments. Clear the altar so God can be the one and only on there.
This is the ‘cleaning of your room.’
1/4/2026
The Distinction Between Forgiveness From Salvation and Ongoing Repentance
Jesus paid the price so why are we still haunted by unforgiven sins?
If Jesus died and saved us from our sins, why are there unforgiven sins we need to work on?
Jesus’ death fully forgave sin, but forgiveness must be applied, received, and walked out.
What remains is not unpaid sin, but unapplied forgiveness and unresolved relational obedience.
Scripture speaks about forgiveness in more than one sense:
o “Once-for-all forgiveness” This is what Jesus accomplished at the cross. Your sins are forgiven judicially, your standing before God is settled, you are no longer condemned.
o “Relational forgiveness” This is to be walked out daily and we need to maintain fellowship.
Unconfessed sins has its affects whether it be fellowship, peace, sensitivity to the Spirit and Spiritual authority.
On a daily basis we pray “Forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors.”
Jesus did not die so we could ignore relational obedience (asking for forgiveness or forgiving the other person)
It doesn’t mean your salvation is undone or that Christ’s sacrifice was insufficient but it does mean you are blocking the experience of forgiveness, you are walking out of alignment with God’s heart and fellowship and spiritual freedom are hindered.
We still need to be obedient, be responsible, be consciously aware of our use of free will and that the cross does not automatically heal relational damage.
Jesus fully paid for sin at the cross, but forgiveness still has to be received and lived out. What we work through as believers isn’t unpaid sin-it’s unaddressed sin. Not to earn forgiveness, but to walk in freedom and restored fellowship.
The cross clears the debt. Confession clears the conscience. Forgiveness clears the heart.
Unforgiveness places us in the judge’s seat. Forgiveness puts us back under God’s authority.
Bottom line: Jesus fully forgave sin at the cross, salvation is complete and secure, ongoing forgiveness is relational, not judicial and unforgiven sins in believers refer to unresolved fellowship and obedience, not lost salvation.