All right, so this morning, if I seem to be relying
on my notes a little bit more than normal, it's
because this all got rewritten yesterday and
this morning, just because of what's happening
in the world. If you've never joined us before,
thank you so much for being here. I would actually
love to meet you. Put your information on the
connection card at the end. I'll make sure to
connect with you. Again, my name is Greg Hampton.
I'm one of the pastors here. Today we are starting
a series called How To. And like I said, I did
write a sermon for this. I promise. I did my
job and I wrote a sermon. And then the world
was just what the world was this week. So throughout
the course of the next five weeks, we are going
to do some pretty practical how -to. We're going
to talk about how to pray, how to study the scriptures,
how to fellowship. Maybe the last one might be
how to serve. But this week, there was just too
much happening that it didn't feel right. Like,
I'm just going to go with this sermon that I
got into the can by Wednesday afternoon. As of
right now, by one report, 680 ,000 people have
died in Gaza. 680 ,000. And the majority of those
are believed to be children. Hundreds of thousands
of people have died in what seems to be a completely
senseless war between Ukraine and Russia. In
2025, there have been nine school shootings in
America. There have been 309 mass shootings in
America. In June, two politicians in Minnesota
were killed in their homes. Another two were
injured in their homes. And this week, a political
commentator and activist was publicly assassinated
of people on a college campus. Jesus said in
John 16, Do you now believe the hour is coming?
Indeed, it has come when you will be scattered,
each one to his home, and you will leave me alone.
Yet I am not alone because the Father is with
me. I have said this to you so that in me you
may have peace. In the world you face persecution
and will have troubles, but take courage, for
I have overcome the world. There are moments
when it does not feel like Jesus has overcome
the world. I said there are moments when it feels
like Jesus has not overcome the world. One thing
after another, as each thing happened this week,
my feelings told me that Jesus has not conquered
the world. Dr. King said, violence multiplies
violence, and toughness multiplies toughness
in a descending spiral of destruction. So when
Jesus says, love your enemies, he is setting
forth a profound and ultimately inescapable admonition.
Have we not come to such an impasse in the modern
world that we must love our enemies or else?
The chain reaction of evil, hate begetting hate,
wars producing wars must be broken or we shall
be plunged into the dark abyss. of annihilation.
We have to stop the chain action. We have to
stop the dominoes from falling one into the other.
And even when I don't feel like Jesus has overcome
all of the darkness of the world, I do believe
it. I may not feel it, but I believe it. The
challenging part is to get that belief to overcome
my feelings. Instead of the other way around.
On Thursday, someone messaged me. They said that
they felt so angry. They are a person that has
been pushed to the margins. They are a person
that is easy to cover with hateful words in the
name of religion. They walked away from church
many, many years ago, but they said they still
believe in Jesus. They messaged me because they
felt that they had said some things the day before
and that morning about what had happened in Utah
on Wednesday that didn't reflect what they thought
about Jesus. Because they were saying it out
of all the anger that they felt. They asked me
what they should do with all the anger that they
feel. Because the person that had died had said
a lot of things that made it easy for a lot of
people to mistreat them. But again, they said,
I know it's not what Jesus wants. I just don't
know how to turn it off. I said, read the Sermon
on the Mount. I said, but don't just read it.
Let it read into you. Really hear Jesus saying
it. The Sermon on the Mount is Jesus' words.
Read them, and if you believe in Jesus, then
hear Jesus saying them to you. Let the Spirit
shape you as you listen to the words that you
are reading, as you listen to the words that
we believe that Jesus spoke. And then, as you
pray through the words of those scriptures multiple
times, let the words of Jesus shape who you will
be now. what you will say next. As I thought
and I prayed on what we should do with our time,
I came to the same conclusion. My sermon about
what order the words belong, believe, and become
should be was going to be a great sermon, I promise.
But today, we need to do the same thing that
I asked them to do. Because the next day I saw
on their Facebook page an apology saying that
they know that they need to learn how to love
people that don't love them. And that was not
me. That was the words of Jesus. We all need
the words of Jesus. The world needs us to have
the words of Jesus inside of us, guiding our
feet and our hands and our mouths. So that the
way that we act does something to remove the
domino from all of the things that are falling
one after another. We have to remove something
from the chain reaction, y 'all. And if we, if
we will douse ourselves in the waters of our
baptism, we will not be ignited by the hatred
of the world. If we will let ourselves be covered
and identified by the blood of Jesus Christ,
then we will not be ignited by the fires of rage.
Because I believe that Jesus loves this world.
I believe that Jesus has taught us how to love
the world. And I hope that today that this will
shape our hearts to break the cycle wherever
each one of us is in that cycle. So what's going
to happen is I'm going to read the longest passage
of Scripture that's ever been read on a Sunday
morning at the house. It's chapters 5, 6, and
7. I was telling people earlier, there's a pastor,
social activist, Christian activist. who co -founded
something called the Red Letter Christians. And
back in 2006, he went to the Youth Specialties
Conference, or whatever it was called back then.
10 ,000 people that worked in youth ministry
in an arena. I happened to be there because I
was living near Atlanta. And he came out, and
he'd been paid to come and bring some great message
as one of the speakers of one of the main sessions.
And he came out. He opened his Bible. He read
Matthew 5, 6, and 7. He closed his Bible, and
he left the stage. And when people were angry
with him that all he did was speak the words
of Jesus, he said, there was nothing better that
I could have said to you. So I'm going to read,
and then we're going to go back through it, and
I'm going to pick out sections for us to pray
about. I'm going to have a couple of the elders
around the building. And if at any point, as
something that we're praying, if it feels difficult
for you, if it feels like something that you
don't know how to remove that part of you from
the chain reaction, or if you know something
that's happening that you need to pray about,
then come to one of those people and we will
pray. I will not ask you to stand because it
will be very long. Father, may your... Spirit,
bring to life the words of Jesus as though he
were saying them to us now. When Jesus saw the
crowds, he went up the mountain. And after he
sat down, his disciples came to him. Then he
began to speak and taught them, saying, Blessed
are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom
of heaven. Blessed are those who mourn, for they
will be comforted. Blessed are the meek for they
will inherit the earth. Blessed are those who
hunger and thirst for righteousness for they
will be filled. Blessed are the merciful for
they will receive mercy. Blessed are the pure
in heart for they will see God. Blessed are the
peacemakers for they will be called children
of God. Blessed are those who are persecuted
for righteousness sake for theirs is the kingdom
of heaven. Blessed are those Blessed are you
when people revile you and persecute you and
utter all kinds of evil against you falsely in
my account. Rejoice and be glad, for your reward
is great in heaven, for in the same way they
persecuted the prophets who were before you.
You are the salt of the earth, but if salt has
lost its taste, how can its saltiness be restored?
It is no longer good for anything, but it is
thrown out and trampled underfoot. You are the
light of the world. A city built on a hill cannot
be hid. No one after lighting a lamp puts it
under a bushel basket, but on the lampstand.
And it gives light to all in the house. In the
same way, let your light shine before others
so that they may see your good works and give
glory to your Father in heaven. Do not think
that I have come to abolish the law or the prophets.
I have come not to abolish but to fulfill. For
truly I tell you, until heaven and earth pass
away, not one letter, not one stroke of a letter
will pass from the law until all is accomplished.
Therefore, whoever breaks one of the least of
these commandments and teaches others to do the
same will be called least in the kingdom of heaven.
Whoever does them, and teaches them will be called
great in the kingdom of heaven. For I tell you,
unless your righteousness exceeds that of the
scribes and Pharisees, you will never enter the
kingdom of heaven. You have heard that it was
said to those of ancient times, you shall not
murder, and whoever murders shall be liable to
judgment. But I say to you that if you are angry
with a brother or sister, you will be liable
to judgment. And if you insult a brother or sister,
you will be liable to the council. And if you
say you fool, You will be liable to the hell
of fire. So when you are offering your gift at
the altar, if you remember that your brother
or sister has something against you, leave your
gift there before the altar and go. First be
reconciled to your brother or sister and then
come and offer your gift. Come to terms quickly
with your accuser while you are on the way to
court with him. Or your accuser may hand you
over to the judge and the judge to the guard
and you will be thrown into prison. Truly I tell
you, you will never get out. until you've paid
that last penny. You've heard that it was said,
you shall not commit adultery. But I say to you
that everyone who looks at a woman with lust
has already committed adultery with her in his
heart. If your right eye causes you to sin, tear
it out and throw it away. It is better for you
to lose one of your members than for your whole
body to be thrown into hell. And if your right
hand causes you to sin, cut it off and throw
it away. It is better for you to lose one of
your members than for your whole body to go in
hell. It was also said, whoever divorces his
wife, let him give a certificate of divorce.
But I say to you that anyone who divorces his
wife, except on grounds of unchastity, causes
her to commit adultery. And whoever marries a
divorced woman commits adultery. Again, you have
heard that it was said to those of ancient times,
you shall not swear falsely, but carry out the
vows you have made to the Lord. But I say to
you, do not swear at all, either by heaven or...
for it is the throne of God, or by the earth,
for it is his footstool, or by Jerusalem, for
it is the city of the great king. Do not swear
by your head, for you cannot make one hair white
or black. Let your word be yes, yes, or no, no.
Anything more than this comes from the evil one.
You've heard that it was said, an eye for an
eye and a tooth for a tooth, but I say to you,
do not resist an evildoer. But if anyone strikes
you in the right cheek, turn the other also.
And if anyone wants to sue you and take your
coat, give your cloak as well. If anyone forces
you to go one mile, go also the second mile.
Give to everyone who begs from you, and do not
refuse anyone who wants to borrow from you. You've
heard that it was said, you shall love your neighbor
and hate your enemy. But I say to you, love your
enemies. Pray for those who persecute you so
that you may be children of your Father in heaven.
For he makes his sun rise on the evil and on
the good and sends rain on the righteous and
on the unrighteous. For if you love those who
love you, what reward do you have? Do not even
the tax collectors do the same? And if you greet
only your brother and sister, what more are you
doing than others? Do not even the Gentiles do
the same? Be perfect, therefore, as your heavenly
Father is perfect. Beware of practicing your
piety before others in order to be seen by them.
For then you have no reward from your Father
in heaven. So whenever you give alms, do not
sound a trumpet before you, as the hypocrites
do in the synagogues and in the streets, so that
they may be praised by others. Truly I tell you,
they have received their reward. When you give
alms, do not let your left hand know what your
right hand is doing, so that your alms may be
done in secret, and your Father who sees in secret
will reward you. And whenever you pray, do not
be like the hypocrites, for they love to stand
and pray in the synagogues and at the street
corners so that they may be seen by others. Truly,
I tell you, they have received their reward.
But whenever you pray, go into your room and
shut the door and pray to your Father who is
in the secret, and your Father who sees in secret
will reward you. When you are praying, do not
heap up. empty phrases as the Gentiles do, for
they think that they will be heard because of
their many words. Do not be like them, for your
Father knows what you need before you ask him.
Pray then this way. Our Father in heaven, hallowed
be your name. Your kingdom come, your will be
done on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this
day our daily bread and forgive us our debts
as we also forgive our debtors. And do not bring
us to the time of trial, but rescue us. from
the evil one. For if you forgive others their
trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive
you. But if you do not forgive others, neither
will your Father forgive your trespasses. Whenever
you fast, do not look dismal like the hypocrites,
for they disfigure their faces so to show others
that they are fasting. Truly I tell you, they
receive their reward. But when you fast, put
oil on your head and wash your face so that your
fasting may be seen not by others, but by your
Father who sees in the secret. And your Father
who sees in secret will reward you. Do not store
up yourself treasures on earth. where moth and
rust consume, and where thieves break in and
steal. But store up for yourselves treasures
in heaven, where neither moth nor rust consumes,
and where thieves do not break in and steal.
For where your treasure is, there your heart
will be also. The eye is the lamp of the body.
So if your eye is healthy, your whole body will
be full of light. But if your eye is unhealthy,
your whole body will be full of darkness. If
then the light in you is darkness, how great
is the darkness. For no one can serve two masters.
For a slave will either hate the one and love
the other or be devoted to the one and despise
the other. You cannot serve God and wealth. Therefore
I tell you, do not worry about your life. What
you will eat or what you will drink or about
your body, what you will wear. Is not life more
than food and the body more than clothing? Look
at the birds of the air. They neither sow nor
reap nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly
Father feeds them. Are you not of more value
than they? Can any of you? By worrying, add a
single hour to the span of your life. Then why
do you worry about clothing? Consider the lilies
of the field, how they grow. They neither toil
nor spin. Yet I tell you, even Solomon in all
of his glory was not clothed like one of these.
But if God so clothes the grass of the field,
which is alive today and tomorrow is thrown into
the oven, will he not much more clothe you, you
of little faith? Therefore, do not worry, saying,
what will we eat or what will we drink or what
will we wear? For it is the Gentiles who strive
for all these things. And indeed, your heavenly
Father knows that you need all these things.
But strive first for the kingdom of God and for
his righteousness. All these things will be given
to you as well. So do not worry about tomorrow,
for tomorrow will bring worries of its own. Today's
trouble is enough for today. Do not judge so
that you may not be judged. With the judgment
you make, you will be judged, and the measure
you give will be the measure you get. Why do
you see the speck in your brother's eye, but
do not notice the log in your own eye? How can
you say to your neighbor, let me take the speck
out of your eye while the log is in your own
eye? You hypocrite, first take the log out of
your own eye. And then you will see clearly to
take the speck out of your neighbor's eye. Do
not give what is holy to dogs, and do not throw
your pearls before swine, or they will trample
them underfoot and turn and maul you. Ask, and
it will be given you. Search, and you will find.
Knock, and the door will be opened for you. For
everyone who asks receives, and everyone who
searches finds. For everyone who knocks, the
door will be opened. Is there anyone among you?
who if your child asks for bread will give a
stone, or if the child asks for a snake will
give a snake? If you then, who are evil, know
how to give good gifts to your children, how
much more will your Father in heaven give good
things to those who ask him? And everything do
to others as you would have them do to you, for
this is the law and the prophets. Enter through
the narrow gate. For the gate is wide and the
road is easy that leads to destruction, and there
are many who take it. For the gate is narrow
and the road is hard that leads to life, and
there are few who find it. Beware of false prophets
who come to you in sheep's clothing, but inwardly
are ravenous wolves. You will know them by their
fruits. Are grapes gathered from thorns or figs
from thistles? In the same way, every good tree
bears good fruit, but the bad tree bears bad
fruit. A good tree cannot bear bad fruit, nor
can a bad tree bear good fruit. Every tree that
does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown
into the fire. Thus you will know them by their
fruits. Not everyone who says to me, Lord, Lord,
will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only the
one who does the will of my Father in heaven.
On that day, many will say to me, Lord, Lord,
did we not prophesy in your name and cast out
demons in your name and do many deeds of power
in your name? Then I will declare to them, I
never knew you. Go away from me, you evildoers.
Everyone then who hears these words of mine and
acts on them will be like a wise man who built
his house on rock. The rain fell, the floods
came, and the winds blew and beat on that house,
but it did not fall because it had been founded
on rock. And everyone who hears these words of
mine and does not act on them will be like a
foolish man who built his house on sand. The
rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds
blew and beat against that house, and it fell,
and great was the fall. Now when Jesus had finished
saying these things, The crowds were astounded
at his teaching, for he taught them as one having
authority, not as one of the scribes. The first
thing I want to pray about is all of the marginalized
people that you know. You can interpret that
how you want. When Jesus gives the Beatitudes,
the blessed bees, He's praying for all of the
ones that are marginalized, telling them how
they will be blessed in all of the ways that
the wealthy think that they can buy. So let us
spend a moment praying for that. If Marissa would
come up over here, and if Eric would come up
over here, if anyone wants to pray about any
of these things with an elder, they will be present.
He says we need our saltiness, that we need our
light. He's telling us not to be bland. He's
telling us not to be dimly lit. Let us pray for
our own courage. That we might shine in the way
that Jesus calls us to. He tells us to be careful
with how we use our anger. He says we can use
our anger in a way that is the equivalent of
having murdered someone. That how we think and
feel in our hearts about other people matters.
Let's take a moment to confess and turn away
from the way we have held anger against others.
He gives one of the most difficult lessons, to
not resist an evildoer, to let them take your
shirt, to go the extra mile, to let them slap
you again, to love our enemies, to pray for those
that persecute us, because as the Proverbs had
said, he causes the sun to rise on both, the
wealthy and the poor, the righteous and the unrighteous.
Let's pray for the ways that we have fought when
Jesus has asked us to let go. He tells us it
matters what's behind our eyes. That if there
is not light in our eyes, that it affects our
entire lives. He's telling us that it matters
what we look at, what we fill ourselves with.
Let's let God shape us now about how we're using
our eyes and our time, what we ingest, and what
comes out because of it. Jesus reminds us that
with the measure that we judge, we will be judged.
That we have keen vision to see the tiny speck
of sand in someone else's eye when we're ignoring
the two by four we're holding in front of our
face. Let's pray about the ways that we have
found ourselves judging others while we have
ignored. The sins of our own hearts and our own
lives. He teaches us the golden rule. To do unto
others as you would have them do unto you. Let's
just pray for a moment about how we have switched
that. How, at times, we do to others as we feel
they've done to us. Instead of offering the kindness
that we hope that we would receive, or the love,
or the gentleness, the forgiveness, the benefit
of the doubt. Finally, he tells us to be doers
of the word, not just hearers of what he has
said, because it shapes and forms a house that
is either built on sand or rock. The love of
Jesus is immovable. It cannot be shaken. And
yet there is something about how we follow Jesus
that affects the foundation of the house of faith
that we build. Spend a moment praying for a good
foundation. If you feel you have built on sand
by ignoring the words of Jesus, then start over.
Build on rock. Jesus, we thank you for your words.
Pray that you would help us to remove ourselves
from the chain reaction that leads from war to
war, from violence to violence, from hate to
hate. That you would fill our eyes with light,
for you are the light of the world. Fill us with
your very presence. Help us to be doers of your
word. not just hearers, so that this house might
be built on rock as each of our individual houses
of faith in each of our hearts is built on your
word. In the name of Jesus, we pray. Amen.