North Park Baptist Church of Bridgeport CT

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Be Certain You Are Saved

September 24, 2023

Bootcamp for Disciples - The Sermon on the Mount

Matthew 7:21-23

Mark Smith

Be Certain You Are Saved

Date Preached: September 24, 2023

Series: Bootcamp for Disciples - The Sermon on the Mount

Speaker: Mark Smith

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In this third of four warnings that Jesus gives as he closes out his basic training for disciples, he warns that not everyone who calls him Lord will enter the Kingdom of Heaven. It may be a surprise to find out who these excluded people are. Jesus wants each of us to be sure we are not among those who find out when it it too late that he never knew us. Now is the time to make certain that we are saved.

Be Certain You Are Saved

Make Sure You Are On the Right Path

September 10, 2023

Bootcamp for Disciples - The Sermon on the Mount

Matthew 7:13-14

Mark Smith

Make Sure You Are On the Right Path

Date Preached: September 10, 2023

Series: Bootcamp for Disciples - The Sermon on the Mount

Speaker: Mark Smith

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Jesus closes out his Bootcamp for Disciples (Matthew 5-7) with four warnings. The first has to do with being sure we are on the path that leads to eternal life.

Someone has estimated that there are over 4,000 religions and faiths in the world. While some want to believe that they are really all the same and lead to the same place, even a casual acquaintance with the Bible's teachings and those of other world religions will convince you otherwise. They are quite different.

Jesus warns his disciples to be sure they are on the road that leads to eternal life and not some other road that can only lead to destruction. We can know what that road is and how to get onto it so that we can be certain, not just hopeful, that our final destination will be eternal life. This message will point the way.

Make Sure You Are On the Right Path

One Rule to Rule Them All

September 3, 2023

Bootcamp for Disciples - The Sermon on the Mount

Matthew 7:12

Mark Smith

One Rule to Rule Them All

Date Preached: September 3, 2023

Series: Bootcamp for Disciples - The Sermon on the Mount

Speaker: Mark Smith

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One rule to rule them all. Borrowing from a similar line in The Lord of the Rings, this accurately describes the rule that Jesus will give to his disciples in the passage we'll be instructed from today. It was one rule that would cover dozens and dozens of rules on how disciples are to treat other people. It is relationships simplified. Let's see what this unusual rule is and how it applies to those who are following Jesus.

One Rule to Rule Them All

Ask and Receive

August 27, 2023

Bootcamp for Disciples - The Sermon on the Mount

Matthew 7:7-11

Mark Smith

Ask and Receive

Date Preached: August 27, 2023

Series: Bootcamp for Disciples - The Sermon on the Mount

Speaker: Mark Smith

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Jesus has already taught his disciples some basic content of prayer (Matthew 6:9-13). We called this the Model Prayer. Others call it the Lord's Prayer.

But why pray at all? Is prayer just about clearing our minds? Is it just about fellowship with God? Is it just to bring us some peace?

Jesus address this question in Matthew 7:7-11. Very simply, he says, we pray in order to receive. We ask, seek, and knock, so we can receive, find, and have doors opened. And God promises to answer our prayers in this way.

But does he? Aren't some prayers unanswered? We have to consider this question as we turn to this section of Jesus' Bootcamp for Disciples.

Ask and Receive

Be Discerning When Sharing

August 20, 2023

Bootcamp for Disciples - The Sermon on the Mount

Matthew 7:6

Mark Smith

Be Discerning When Sharing

Date Preached: August 20, 2023

Series: Bootcamp for Disciples - The Sermon on the Mount

Speaker: Mark Smith

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While followers of Jesus are not to be judgmental, they are not to lack discernment. The gospel we have to share and the truths God teaches are holy and precious. We are to be careful not to indiscriminately share them with those who may treat them with contempt. This is the issue Jesus turns to in the single verse we'll cover today.

Be Discerning When Sharing

Don’t Judge Others

August 13, 2023

Bootcamp for Disciples - The Sermon on the Mount

Matthew 7:1-5

Mark Smith

Don’t Judge Others

Date Preached: August 13, 2023

Series: Bootcamp for Disciples - The Sermon on the Mount

Speaker: Mark Smith

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A quick way to lose your witness and be labeled as a hypocrite is to become known as a judgmental person. Jesus speaks to this behavior giving a simple command and a constructive change in focus. While Jesus' disciples are not blind to wrong behavior and wrong beliefs, their first focus is on their own behavior, rather than others'. Only when they've taken the time to get their own behavior right can they offer help to others. Jesus' idea is simple. It's one we need to learn to live by.

Don’t Judge Others

Anxiety-Free Living

August 6, 2023

Bootcamp for Disciples - The Sermon on the Mount

Matthew 6:25-34

Mark Smith

Anxiety-Free Living

Date Preached: August 6, 2023

Series: Bootcamp for Disciples - The Sermon on the Mount

Speaker: Mark Smith

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Anxiety is a big problem for many people and even for followers of Christ. It can extract a huge toll while accomplishing nothing. Is there a way out of anxiety? In his boot camp for disciples (the Sermon on the Mount) Jesus turns to the issue of anxiety and explains how his followers can be free of it. It all boils down to their understanding of God and his care for them, and their willingness to put God above all.

Anxiety-Free Living

A Disciple’s Priorities

July 30, 2023

Bootcamp for Disciples - The Sermon on the Mount

Matthew 6:19-24

Mark Smith

A Disciple’s Priorities

Date Preached: July 30, 2023

Series: Bootcamp for Disciples - The Sermon on the Mount

Speaker: Mark Smith

Download Sermon Audio MP3

What are you passionate about? What do you desire above all other things? Who or what most easily gets your attention? How would you most like to spend your time? What do you want to be known for?

These questions reveal the deepest interests and priorities of our life. But are our priorities right? Have we selected the best ones? Do our interests lead to the best life we can enjoy?

Jesus wants to help those of us who follow him to know what the best interests and priorities of our life should be. In his boot camp for disciples (the Sermon on the Mount) Jesus turns to this issue in the passage we'll cover today.

A Disciple’s Priorities

Forgive Others

July 9, 2023

Bootcamp for Disciples - The Sermon on the Mount

Mark Smith

Forgive Others

Date Preached: July 9, 2023

Series: Bootcamp for Disciples - The Sermon on the Mount

Speaker: Mark Smith

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Jesus placed a condition on God's forgiveness in Matthew 6:12, the Model Prayer. This condition was so important that he stated it again after he had completed teaching the prayer. Why? Why did Jesus want to make sure that his disciples understood the importance of this condition? We'll consider this question in this message and then attempt to answer some questions this condition brings up.

Forgive Others

Pray in Jesus’ Way

July 2, 2023

Bootcamp for Disciples - The Sermon on the Mount

Matthew 6:7-13

Mark Smith

Pray in Jesus’ Way

Date Preached: July 2, 2023

Series: Bootcamp for Disciples - The Sermon on the Mount

Speaker: Mark Smith

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Anything that encourages disciples of Jesu to pray is good. So beside warning us not to pray to get the attention or approval of others, Jesus teaches us how to pray. At least, he gives us a prayer to model our prayers after. Often called the Lord's Prayer it is better called the Disciple's Prayer for that is who is meant to pray it.

Since we know Jesus himself prayed in a variety of ways, this prayer serves not as one to repeat verbatim, but one to learn from, which is what we'll try to do in this message. How can we learn to pray in Jesus' way?

Pray in Jesus’ Way

Don’t Blow Your Own Horn

June 25, 2023

Bootcamp for Disciples - The Sermon on the Mount

Matthew 6:1-6, 16-18

Mark Smith

Don’t Blow Your Own Horn

Date Preached: June 25, 2023

Series: Bootcamp for Disciples - The Sermon on the Mount

Speaker: Mark Smith

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"He that tooteth not his own horn, the same shall not be tooted." (Damon Runyan)

Blowing your own horn is a big-time industry and personal activity here in the USA. Apparently blowing one's own horn (literally and figuratively) was a practice of some of the most respected religious leaders in Jesus' time. Were his disciples also to draw attention to their faith practices, including giving, praying, and fasting?

As we'll see, Jesus calls those who follow him to radically different behavior. We might say today that if disciples own a horn it would be better to get rid of it than risk blowing it. Jesus will tell us why.

Don’t Blow Your Own Horn

Don’t Limit Love

June 18, 2023

Bootcamp for Disciples - The Sermon on the Mount

Matthew 5:43-48

Mark Smith

Don’t Limit Love

Date Preached: June 18, 2023

Series: Bootcamp for Disciples - The Sermon on the Mount

Speaker: Mark Smith

Download Sermon Audio MP3

Love your enemies? What sort of talk is this? Destroy them, hate them, hurt them back. That's what you do with your enemies.

Jesus' teaching that his followers are not to limit their love to those who love them in return must have shocked all who heard him. It was radical. It was counter-cultural. Yet, Jesus said, it isn't optional for his followers. They are to love everyone, including their enemies.

Follow along with us as we hear Jesus give this command and then discover his reasons for giving it. This was one of the toughest lessons in boot camp for his disciples. It's also one that could truly make them a city set on a hill that could not be hidden. What about today? What about us?

Don’t Limit Love

Don’t Retaliate

June 11, 2023

Bootcamp for Disciples - The Sermon on the Mount

Matthew 5:38-42

Mark Smith

Don’t Retaliate

Date Preached: June 11, 2023

Series: Bootcamp for Disciples - The Sermon on the Mount

Speaker: Mark Smith

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You'd probably agree that personal retaliation has become a huge national problem. From angry neighbors, vengeful employers or employees, gangs at war with each other, teens and young men who feel wronged taking our knives and guns, divorced people getting back at their ex through the kids, to politicians blocking good legislation because of a vendetta against having their legislation blocked, personal revenge-seeking is a daily, almost universal problem.

Jesus tells us what he thinks of this as he instructs his disciples in the kind of righteousness God is looking for. His directions are among the best-know and most radical of all his teaching. We'll see how Jesus wants us to deal with the urge to retaliate in this message.

Don’t Retaliate

Keep Your Word

June 4, 2023

Bootcamp for Disciples - The Sermon on the Mount

Matthew 5:33-37

Mark Smith

Keep Your Word

Date Preached: June 4, 2023

Series: Bootcamp for Disciples - The Sermon on the Mount

Speaker: Mark Smith

Download Sermon Audio MP3

The need to be a person who tells the truth and keeps his/her word is the focus of Jesus' third example of what it means for his disciples to have a righteousness that exceeds the scribes and Pharisees. What Jesus wants is for each of us to always tell the truth and always keep our word. Promises, oaths, and vows cannot replace being someone others know always keeps their word.

Keep Your Word

Protect Your Marriage

May 28, 2023

Bootcamp for Disciples - The Sermon on the Mount

Matthew 5:27-32, 1 Corinthians 7:10-16

Mark Smith

Protect Your Marriage

Date Preached: May 28, 2023

Series: Bootcamp for Disciples - The Sermon on the Mount

Speaker: Mark Smith

Download Sermon Audio MP3

Jesus' second explanation of how a disciple's righteousness must exceed that of the Pharisees and scribes deals with marriage. We'll see that Jesus holds a very high view of marriage in which God joins two people together into one, a bond only adultery can break. This leads to an application on divorce and remarriage. Disciples must actively work to protect their marriages for God wants them to last for all of life.

Protect Your Marriage

It’s Not Enough Just to Avoid Murder

May 21, 2023

Bootcamp for Disciples - The Sermon on the Mount

Matthew 5:21-26

Mark Smith

It’s Not Enough Just to Avoid Murder

Date Preached: May 21, 2023

Series: Bootcamp for Disciples - The Sermon on the Mount

Speaker: Mark Smith

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The righteousness God is looking for is far greater than just an outer obedience to his commands. In this and the next few sermons we'll see that Jesus raised the bar for all who want to be righteous. Jesus starts with what seems like to most of us an easy command not to break - the command to not murder. But quickly Jesus will turn to behaviors we often don't think much about which he says all deserve the same ultimate punishment as murder - eternity in hell.

What are these less obvious sinful behaviors and how can we ever obtain this level of righteousness? We'll see.

It’s Not Enough Just to Avoid Murder

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