Sermon: The Tender Mercy of God

This Sunday, we’ll begin our Advent sermon series from the Gospel of Luke, called Good News of Great Joy, with the story of John the Baptist’s birth. As we do so, we’ll hear how God answered the prayers of John’s parents and see how God works in the lives of his people so that His blessing leads others to rejoice in God and hope in his salvation.Luke 1.5-25, 57-80

The end of Jesus’ Sermon on the Mount issues some stark warnings and teaches us that true righteousness finds its roots in the state of our hearts.

Have you ever wondered why people choose to fast? Throughout the Scriptures, we see many of God’s people fasting, yet honestly, fasting for the purpose of pursuing God can sometimes be overlooked in our own walk with Jesus.In this week’s passage, Jesus shares with us how to fast and offers a profound motivation: the Father Himself promises to reward us! If our fasting is only to gain applause or approval from others, then that’s the only reward we’ll receive. But when we fast as Jesus teaches, the eternal God sees us and promises to reward us. Ultimately, fasting is about desiring God and His reward more than anything else.

When we read our Bibles, we hear over and over again that God alone rules over all. But as we look around to our culture and to our own hearts, it often feels like something else is on the throne - money.In our text this week, Jesus shows us what it looks like to live faithfully to Him by believing that He is better than our wallets. He won’t give us a budget. He won’t tell us what we can or can’t spend our money on. But He gives us a promise: investing our hearts in His Kingdom is the best investment we can ever make.Matthew 6:1-4; 19-34

Prayer can seem quite difficult, no matter how convinced we are that God calls us to it. We can struggle because we don’t know what to say or how to say it. Additionally, we can a tough time because of who we are and what we think we are accomplishing as we pray. No matter your struggle, prayer can challenge you … but through prayer, God can also bless you. This week, we’ll hear from Jesus how to pray in the right way for the right reward and with the right view of God.

Matthew 5.13-16How can I make a difference in other people's lives? How can I build a life on the gospel that loves and leads others to the real Jesus?These are questions we ask whether younger and figuring life out or older and established. This Sunday, we'll hear Jesus tell his disciples they've been made new. They've been made salt. They've been made light. And as they (and we!) live as his people doing good works, others will see them and glorify God the Father.

How does Jesus expect us to live as His people? In Christ our citizenship is in heaven and we’re called to live together in a manner worthy of that calling. This Sunday Jesus shows us what that looks like: ending angry contempt with urgent reconciliation, killing unholy desires and honoring marriage, speaking plainly and keeping our word, and exercising humility and wisdom. We don’t do these to earn the kingdom; we do them because the King equips us by His Spirit and calls us to walk in His ways.

This week, we begin a new preaching series from Jesus’ famous Sermon on the Mount, titled ‘Building Life on the Gospel.’We all choose how we are going to build our lives.The challenge from Jesus is to intentionally choose how we are building our lives.To enter his kingdom, we must have the overflowing righteousness of God.How do we get that overflowing righteousness?There are two choices: One is to pursue righteousness of our own making.Jesus wants us to choose the other way, his way - join us on Sunday as we learn from Jesus how to build our lives on the Gospel.

How should I follow Jesus in this broken and sinful world? If good works don’t save me, should I try to do them? This Sunday, as Paul ends his letter to Titus, we’ll see that believing and living in Christ means that we’ll also live lives devoted to good works. Our good works won’t save us, but we are certainly called to do them as humble heirs in God’s kingdom.Titus 3

Listen for an October update on all things Seven Mile Melrose. You'll hear all kinds of things including: why you might see holes in the sanctuary walls, how to get a donut reward, how a middle-school slang term could help you save the date for a marriage retreat, a recap from last months's parenting workshop, how to participate in the Chili Cook-Off, and the staff's thoughts on apple picking. Subscribe to the Parents Newsletter:https://sevenmilemelrose.us12.list-manage.com/subscribe?u=ae874e3ddc0bd51b08b51e5ab&id=82c8286f7bSign up for the Chili Cook Off:https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1yzeOalAApDgu4fEOk6Pgmn7Hv-N_oYMindzWsl0keFQ/edit?usp=sharing