You can tell what kind of bird you’re looking at by its distinguishing marks. So what are the distinguishing marks of a Christian? Pastor Colin talks about how you would know it if you actually spotted one.

You want to make progress in the Christian life, but you feel stuck. You’ve lost momentum. Pastor Colin talks about the key to progress in the Christian life, and where all progress starts.

What does it mean to be “poor in spirit?” Does it mean you’re always saying something like this, “I don’t really have anything to offer”? Of course not. Pastor Colin talks about what it does mean.

Where does God live? If you’re like most people, you would probably say, “Heaven.” Pastor Colin Smith talks about where else God lives.

Do you think God is *for* everybody? Many people were taught this from a young age. But Pastor Colin shows us, from the Bible, that God is actually *against* some people. Find out why.

If you grow in humility, you will reap a whole cluster of other blessings. Pastor Colin talks about how growing in humility will give you the strength you need to face troubles, relationships, and temptations.

God says: “Blessed are those who mourn.” But there is a kind of mourning that leads to death, and another kind of mourning that leads to comfort. Pastor Colin helps us discover the difference.

How do you deal with 'habitual sins'—the endless cycle of sinning, saying you’re “sorry,” and then repeating the same behavior? Pastor Colin talks about why we never actually move forward in the Christian life without spiritual mourning. Find out the reasons, and how to move forward.

How do you avoid being the person who hangs around the things of God for 10, 20, or 30 years, and never changes? Pastor Colin Smith talks about how to break the cycle of habitual sin.

One glimpse of the love of Christ will do more to strengthen you in your battle against sin than a hundred commitments. Pastor Colin talks about where to look for a glimpse of Christ’s love.

“Gentle Jesus, meek and mild…” Now that doesn’t sound like the kind of thing a guy who watches football would want to go after. You might be surprised. Pastor Colin talks about some reasons why.

While Jesus hung from the cross, he prayed “Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing.” How did he do that? Pastor Colin Smith shows us that this is what the Bible calls “meekness.”

How do you get more meekness in your life? You cannot simply say, “Oh, I want to be meek. Tell me how to be meek.” Pastor Colin Smith shows us that we cannot start there. We have to start further back. Find out why.

How do you get more meekness into your life? Jesus said that it is blessed. “Blessed are the meek.” Pastor Colin talks about ten strategies to help you cultivate more meekness in your life.

What does it look like to be blessed by God? Jesus tells us that the blessed people are not those who think they’re right, but those who feel that they’re not. Pastor Colin shows us why.

What do you think will give you satisfaction? Is it to be loved? To be appreciated? To get revenge? Jesus tells us that there is only one thing that will satisfy completely. Pastor Colin Smith shows us what this is.

Did you know that your own spiritual appetite—your hunger and thirst for God himself—can be cultivated? Here’s the key: Change your diet, and you will change your appetite. Pastor Colin shows us how this works.

How can you have a greater appetite for God? The key is changing your diet, because over time, this leads to a change in appetite. Pastor Colin shows us five strategies for changing our spiritual appetites.

Seeing the crowds, [Jesus] went up on the mountain, and when he sat down, his disciples came to him. And he opened his mouth and taught them, saying: Blessed… (Matthew 5:1-3) Over these last weeks, I have immersed myself in these words of Jesus and they have had a profound effect on me in at least […]

“Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.” Matthew 5:3   Some months ago Karen and I decided to visit the Art Institute in Chicago.  It is a vast and marvelous place with so much to see. When we saw how large it was, I said to Karen in characteristic […]

God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble. Humble yourselves, therefore, under the mighty hand of God so that at the proper time he may exalt you. 1 Peter 5:5-6 We’re looking together at the Beatitudes, great pronouncements of blessing from the Son of God. We began last week with: “Blessed are the […]

“Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted.” Matthew 5:4 Don’t miss the word “blessing,” that is repeated here, and over and over, in the Beatitudes. In the Old Testament God’s people gathered at Mount Sinai. God came down, but His face was never seen. The people were kept at a distance. Darkness […]

“Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted.”  Matthew 5:4 We saw last time that there are three kinds of mourning— 1. Natural mourning grieves the loss of someone you love. 2. Sinful mourning is grieving over something God never intended you to have. But Jesus is referring here to: 3. Spiritual mourning […]

Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth. (Matthew 5:5) What is Christ calling us to here? What is meekness? What does it look like? I wonder what comes to your mind when you hear the word meekness? Is a meek person someone who is soft-spoken, or maybe a person who has a […]

“Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth.” Matthew 5:5 Last week, we looked at what meekness is and some places in life where we especially need to pursue it. Meekness is being used to the hand. We thought about a wild horse that resists the bit and bridle. It’s out there in the […]

“Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be satisfied.”  Matthew 5:6 This fourth beatitude is really a turning point in the series. The first three have been about our need, about our desperate position… Blessed are the poor in spirit—being “poor in spirit” means I know that before God, I […]

“Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be satisfied.”  Matthew 5:6 We saw last time that the mark of a true Christian is not that he feels righteous, but that he longs to be more righteous than he is. When it comes to righteousness, the blessed people are not those […]