Willow Creek Weekend Podcast

In the Sermon on the Mount (Matthew 5:27–37), Jesus teaches about lust and divorce to help us understand how to honor others and keep marriage strong. He speaks against casual divorce and seeing people as objects, reminding us that marriage is about love, respect, and faithfulness. Jesus encourages us to choose healing and restoration, not just in marriage but in all relationships. Pastor Shawn Williams welcomes you to explore these important biblical teachings and discover how God’s love can transform our lives and communities.

When Jesus said He came to fulfill the Law, not abolish it, He revealed that God cares not just about outward actions but about the heart. In Matthew 5:22, Jesus teaches that anger—whether explosive or silent—can be as harmful as murder, destroying relationships, reputations, and the image of God in others. His call to reconciliation isn’t weakness; it’s a bold invitation to choose love over bitterness and peace over pride. Pastor Shawn Williams explores Jesus’ teaching on anger and how, through the power of the Holy Spirit, we can break free from resentment, pursue healing, and live a transformed life rooted in grace.

Jesus’ call to be the “salt of the earth” and the “light of the world” wasn’t just for spiritual elites—it was a radical, communal invitation to ordinary people. In a time of increasing loneliness, isolation, and individualism, this teaching from the Sermon on the Mount reminds us that faith is meant to be lived out together, not alone. Salt preserves and enhances, but only when it’s used. Light exposes and guides, but only when it shines. In this message, Dr. Megan Marshman explores how living on mission with Jesus means stepping out of comfort zones, forming Christ-centered community, and impacting the world with hope, love, and truth.

When Jesus opened the Sermon on the Mount with the words “Blessed are…,” He wasn’t just offering inspirational quotes for wall art. These powerful statements, known as the Beatitudes, were spoken to people living under Roman occupation—people whose lives looked anything but “blessed” by worldly standards. Yet, through these words, Jesus extended a bold invitation to a radically different way of life: one that honors the values of God’s Kingdom, not the world’s. In this message, Pastor Shawn Williams unpacks the meaning behind Jesus’ Beatitudes and explores how this call to countercultural, Kingdom-centered living still challenges and shapes the Church today.

In a world full of broken examples of love and distorted views of God, this powerful Christmas message points us back to the ultimate truth: Jesus Christ. As Hebrews 1:3 reveals, Jesus is the exact representation of God—compassionate, patient, present, and deeply loving. In this teaching, Senior Pastor Shawn Williams unpacks how God didn’t just send a message; He became the message through Jesus. If you’ve ever questioned who God really is, this message offers a moment of clarity, hope, and spiritual restoration.