n his famous Sermon on the Mount, Jesus goes through six case studies of living life God’s way. For each case, he begins with “You have heard it said …” and then responds with “But I say …” The common wisdom that we often hear about how to do life helps us get by, but in these case studies, Jesus introduces a radical approach to living that frees us from the shortcomings and pitfalls of “the normal way.” How can we learn to live radically and to totally transform our approach to others?Week 4 of You've Heard It Said

Teacher: Elohim SalazarIn his second set of three case studies, Jesus offers wisdom about how people can work together in spite of conflict. In Matthew 5:33-37, Jesus focuses on the ancient practice of oath keeping. By the time of Jesus, ancient Israelites no longer spoke the divine name of Yahweh out of respect, but they would still swear oaths by things closely related to God—like the sky, land, temple, etc. Some people used these oaths as a loophole because they felt less serious to break (“I only swore by the temple!”). In this message, we discuss Jesus’ teaching on oaths, which demonstrates God’s wisdom on the integrity of our words and the danger of even small deceptions.

In his famous Sermon on the Mount, Jesus goes through six case studies of living life God’s way. For each case, he begins with “You have heard it said …” and then responds with “But I say …” The common wisdom that we often hear about how to do life helps us get by, but in these case studies, Jesus introduces a radical approach to living that frees us from the shortcomings and pitfalls of “the normal way.” How can we learn to live radically and to totally transform our approach to others?Week 3 of You've Heard It Said

Teacher: Elizabeth CernoiaIn Matthew 5:31-32, Jesus offers a quote from the Torah about when it is lawful to divorce, and then he shares his perspective. But what is the context of these words, and how would Jesus’ original audience have heard them? It’s easy for modern readers to miss, but Jesus is entering a longstanding debate concerning a passage about divorce in Deuteronomy 24—and his take is surprising. In this message, we discuss the story surrounding divorce in ancient Israel, the Bible’s ideal of covenant loyalty, and the wisdom we can find in Scripture to navigate divorce in our culture today.

In Matthew 5:21-48, Jesus reveals the divine wisdom of Israel’s Old Testament laws through six case studies. In the first case study, he expounds on one of the Ten Commandments, “Do not murder” (Exodus 20:13). After acknowledging this command, Jesus takes it further by saying that anyone who is angry with his brother or publicly shames someone is also guilty of murder. What does he mean?

Week 2 of You've Heard It Said

Teacher: Megan Miller

In this message, we discuss Matthew 5:31-32, exploring key concepts—such as murder, contempt, and divine justice—and what they tell us about the value of human beings.