Jesus redefines righteousness by going deeper than the command “do not murder.” He exposes the root—anger, contempt, and character assassination—that destroys the image of God in others, and calls us to urgent reconciliation as the true expression of kingdom living.

The Law was never the standard—it was the scoreboard pointing us to God’s perfect holiness. Jesus is the true standard who fulfills the Law on our behalf, offering His perfect record in place of our failure. Our response is not to rig or ignore the scoreboard, but to trust Him and live under grace.

Jesus calls us the salt of the earth and the light of the world. In this message from Matthew 5:13–16, we’ll explore what it means to live lives that preserve what’s good, shine God’s truth, and point others to Him. Discover how your everyday influence can make an eternal impact.

Jesus’ Sermon on the Mount opens with the Beatitudes—words that comfort the afflicted and afflict the comfortable—revealing God’s upside-down kingdom where true blessing belongs to the spiritually bankrupt, the broken, the meek, and the merciful. These aren’t abstract ideals but a portrait of Jesus himself and an invitation for us to live in God’s alternative reality now.