Chris Sheppard

Closing out the Sermon on the Mount series with Matthew 7:24-29, the message contrasts the wise and foolish builders to argue that hearing Christ's words means nothing without obeying them when the storms of persecution and trial come.

Wise and Foolish BuildersObedience to ChristTrials and Testing

Jesus welcomed children who were being kept from Him, and churches likewise must guard against a casual or overly rigid spirit that quietly blocks children from coming to Christ. Vacation Bible School exists because loving children well

Children's MinistryJesus and ChildrenVBS

Working through Matthew 7:21-23 at the conclusion of the Sermon on the Mount, the message warns that religious activity, even preaching, casting out demons, or moral self-comparison, cannot substitute for genuinely knowing Christ and doing

False Profession of FaithSelf-RighteousnessSermon on the Mount

Concluding the Sermon on the Mount from Matthew 7:15-20, the message warns against false teachers who can be identified by their fruit and urges believers to stay planted in a healthy, doctrinally sound local church rather than drifting

False TeachersTesting by FruitHealthy Church

Working through Matthew 7:7-12, this message pictures God as a loving heavenly Father who gives good gifts in answer to prayer, and ties that fatherly kindness to the call to treat others by the golden rule rather than with a judgmental

Fatherly KindnessGolden RulePrayer Promises

Turning the corner into the conclusion of the Sermon on the Mount at Matthew 7:13-14, the message contrasts the narrow way of difficulty and few travelers with the broad way of destruction, and presses hearers to decide which gate they will

Narrow and Broad WaySermon on the MountCall to Conversion

Matthew 7 forbids sinful judgmentalism while calling believers to humble, discerning judgment in matters of sin. The church must remove the log from its own eye, seek the Spirit's wisdom, and pursue correction without becoming harsh or

JudgmentalismLog in Your Own EyeBrotherly Correction

Worry is exposed as a practical denial of faith in God, and Jesus calls His disciples instead to seek His kingdom and righteousness first, a pursuit that is worked out within the life of the local church.

Worry and AnxietySeek First the KingdomLocal Church Life

Jesus confronts His disciples' anxiety over life's basic necessities by showing that life is worth far more than food, drink, and clothing, calling believers to trust the Father's care rather than be consumed with the body.

Worry and AnxietyTrusting God's ProvisionDoubting Faith

1 Corinthians 12 teaches that believers are born into the local body of Christ and must live as members who need one another. Life in the church is not optional isolation but Spirit-formed belonging, responsibility, and care.

Body LifeChurch MembershipMutual Care