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 6 of You've Heard It Said

Teacher: Brad MillerIn Matthew 5:43-48, Jesus shares his sixth and final case study based on the wisdom of the Torah, and it may be the most challenging one yet. The first three case studies focused on treating others as sacred image-bearers of God. The fourth and fifth case studies offered guidance on how to handle conflict. And in the final case study, Jesus concludes with wisdom on how to respond to people who not only dislike us but even desire our harm. In this message, we discuss one of Jesus’ most famous teachings: “Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you.”

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 5 of You've Heard It Said

Teacher: Megan StibrichIn Matthew 5:38-42, Jesus offers wisdom from the Torah about retaliation, justice, and nonviolent resistance to injustice. He references a series of laws in Exodus 21, Leviticus 24, and Deuteronomy 19, all of which contain the familiar language of “eye for eye, tooth for tooth.” Jesus reveals the surprising wisdom within these laws, using real-life scenarios that would have been familiar to oppressed Israelites living under Roman occupation: turning the other cheek, giving your cloak, and going the extra mile. In this message, we discuss how these actions can open up our imaginations for boldly standing against injustice in creative, nonviolent ways.

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.

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 1 of You've Heard It Said

Teacher: Tyler StibrichIn Matthew 5:27-30, Jesus references the Torah’s command to not commit adultery (Exodus 20:14), going on to say that any man who lusts (or “goes on looking”) at a woman commits adultery with her in his heart. So what is his solution to avoid lust? Cut off a hand and gouge out an eye! Whoa—what is Jesus talking about? In this message, we discuss the meaning and impact of lust, the Bible’s original ideal for men and women, and Jesus’ countercultural vision for sex and marriage in the Kingdom of the skies.

Loneliness has become a cultural epidemic, affecting the health and happiness of millions. Busyness, fear of vulnerability, and past pain often stop us from developing the deep friendships we long for. But it's not supposed to be this way. You were made for people.Join Damascus Road for Made for People as we explore how we were made for friendships and how we can cultivate them in our lonely and technology-driven world. Isolation may be a rising norm of modern life, but you don't have to let it be the story of your life. Find the joy and belonging you were made for.Week 5 of Made for People

Teacher: Ryan MillerHave you ever thought of friendship as an act of worship? We may think that friends need to "do something that seems Christian" to validate our friendship as an act of worship. As if we need to be friends and then pray together, or go to small group, or sing some worship songs to make our friendship an act of worship to God. These things are wonderful, but our friendships stand as acts of worship far before we even get to those other things. Let us begin by learning to see friendship itself is an act of worship then see how we can bring practices of worship into those relationships.

Loneliness has become a cultural epidemic, affecting the health and happiness of millions. Busyness, fear of vulnerability, and past pain often stop us from developing the deep friendships we long for. But it's not supposed to be this way. You were made for people.Join Damascus Road for Made for People as we explore how we were made for friendships and how we can cultivate them in our lonely and technology-driven world. Isolation may be a rising norm of modern life, but you don't have to let it be the story of your life. Find the joy and belonging you were made for.Week 3 of Made for PeopleTeacher: Megan Stibrich

We may think that technology is the answer to our modern problems with friendship. We can message our friends across the country, or catch up with the happenings of their lives via social media on our own time. With tech, the problems of time and space go away, right? But in reality we know something is missing. We may feel stuffed from relational snacking, but we are never full and satisfied from a deep meal of friendship. To bridge this gap, we need the true art of communication and healthier habits of technology that bring us closer together instead of pushing us further apart.