The Upside Down Life With Others (Matthew 5:33-48)
In this week's sermon from Calvary Monterey's ongoing series through the Gospel of Matthew, Nate Holdridge walks through the final three of Jesus' six antitheses in Matthew 5:33–48 — the passage on oaths, retaliation, and enemy love. Under the title "The Upside Down Life With Others," Nate shows how Jesus was not abolishing the Old Testament but driving his listeners past the letter of the law to its deepest intention: a community of people so anchored in God that their trustworthiness needs no oath to confirm it, their security needs no retaliation to protect it, and their love needs no worthy recipient to motivate it. The sermon unpacks what it means to be radically trustworthy, radically surprising, and radically loving — and lands on the stunning closing command of Matthew 5, "Be perfect as your heavenly Father is perfect," not as a burden but as an invitation to fix our eyes on the One who fulfilled every word of it on our behalf.
Jesus Famous is a ministry of Calvary Monterey.We long to see the fame of Christ. By fame, we mean His glory, His renown, or, to borrow from Colossians, His preeminence (Colossians 1:18). When Jesus is famous, everything changes and He becomes our passion, because His love is better than life.
When Jesus is famous in us, we love Him. We know Him and He knows us. We are captivated by His grace, His forgiveness, and His love.
When Jesus is famous among us, we grow in Him. Our motivations change in pursuit of the gospel. His Spirit transforms us into a loving community.
When Jesus is famous through us, we share Him. Jesus saturates our everyday rhythms and conversations. We are empowered to be on mission, serving those around us.
