Text: Luke 6:43-49 | Listen to Message The Link Between Fruit And Root   “That’s not what I’m really like, I only said that ‘cause I’m under a lot of stress!” “It’s her fault; she made me react that way!” “That was totally out of character for me; I’m not like that!” Do you ever find yourself justifying sinful words, actions, and attitudes with statements like these? When other people lie, it’s because they’re liars; but our lies are just aberrations of an otherwise good-natured heart. Other people say mean, hateful things because their souls are black; we say mean, hateful...

Text: Luke 6:37-42 | Listen to Message The Gospel For Judgmental People Nobody likes to be judged but it sure is easy to judge others, isn’t it? Somehow, we’re just certain we’re right and others are wrong. We’re intellectual and they’re ignorant. We’re compassionate and they’re hateful. We’re unselfish and open-minded; they’re self-interested bigots. They’re the problem and we are the solution. We’re just fortunate to have the wisdom to see what’s really going on, that way we know what sins to condemn (others’) and what sins to condone (our own). Let’s cut through the fog of self-righteousness and get real:...

Text: Luke 6:20-36 | Listen to Message Whose Blessing Are You Living For? “Woe to you who are rich…Woe to you who are full…Woe to you who laugh…Woe to you when all people speak well of you.” (Luke 6:24-26) What’s up with statements like these? Is Jesus automatically opposed to people who happen to have or enjoy nice things? As you might expect, the answer isn’t so simplistic or superficial. Here, like everywhere, Jesus is interested with issues of the heart. It’s not that it’s inherently wrong to have money, or to enjoy a nice meal, or to laugh, or to...