sermons
Nov 30
The Heart of the Matter:
Enemies
Troy Oliver
As Matthew 5 comes to a close, Jesus takes up the old maxim, "An Eye for an Eye." The Jews in his time relish in the latitude proscribed in the Old Testament. But they have missed the point of the law -- that our response to our persecutors should not be characterized by our retrubution, but by our restraint.
If we truly submit to God's will, what will our response to our enemies be?
Nov 23
The Heart of the Matter:
Identity
Troy Oliver
Jesus comes to another conundrum for the First-Century Jew. The law says you can divorce your wife ... but should you? The law says you can make an oath, but should you? The question is not so much about what you are permitted to do under the law -- it's about whether you are following the heart of the law.
Doing what you can do, instead of what you should do is about who you think you are. What is your identity?
Nov 16
The Heart of the Matter:
Adultery
Troy Oliver
Jesus turns the discussion toward our sinful nature. The Jews in his time had built monumental hedges aroudn the law to keep themselves from violating it. But Jesus said -- you're kinda missing the point.
The body is merely working in service to the heart. If the heart is turned toward the self, then the body will follow.
Nov 9
The Heart of the Matter:
Loving One Another
Troy Oliver
As Jesus continues in the Sermon on the Mount, he wants us to understand that outward keeping of the law is useless if it does not transform us inwardly. The inward transformation is the heart of the matter. What does that look like in worship and relationship with God? Is it just between me and God?
Nov 2
The Heart of the Matter:
Fulfillment of the Law
Troy Oliver
Jesus continues in the Sermon on the Mount with a discussion about the Law. If the Law is so good, why don't we follow it the way the Israelites did? Or if the Law is so bad, why didn't Jesus abolish it?
The answer lies not in the Law, but in us.
Oct 26
The Heart of the Matter:
Salt and Light
Troy Oliver
After Jesus describes the spiritual process taking place in the Beatitudes, he gets the the Heart of the Matter. He begins by comparing his followers to salt and light. And he asks the question, What good is this transformation if it never goes into the world?