Blessed Are — Part 1: Blessed Are the Peacemakers

Description: In Part 1 of Blessed Are, Pastor Eric opens the series with one of Jesus’ most challenging and misunderstood declarations: “Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called the children of God.” In a culture marked by outrage, division, and unrestrained anger—even within the church—this message calls believers back to the heart of Christ and the ministry of reconciliation.

Pastor Eric carefully distinguishes between righteous anger and destructive wrath, showing how uncontrolled anger numbs wisdom, damages witness, and distorts the gospel. Drawing from James, Romans, Isaiah, Colossians, and the teachings of Jesus Himself, he explains that peacemaking does not mean avoiding truth, suppressing conflict, or capitulating to evil. True peacemaking begins vertically—by receiving peace with God through Jesus Christ—and then flows outward as Spirit-led engagement with a broken world.

At the center of this message is the gospel itself: humanity as enemies of God, Christ as the Prince of Peace, and the cross as the place where justice and mercy meet. Pastor Eric emphasizes that God does not negotiate peace with sinners—He secures it through the blood of His Son—and that all who trust in Christ are reconciled, forgiven, and adopted into God’s family.

From there, the call is clear: those who have received peace are now commissioned to make peace. As ambassadors for Christ, believers are entrusted with the ministry of reconciliation—bringing truth with humility, courage with compassion, and confrontation with the goal of restoration. This message challenges listeners to examine how they handle conflict, how they represent Jesus in a divided world, and whether their lives reflect the Prince of Peace they proclaim.

Key Scriptures (NKJV): Matthew 5:9; James 4:1–5; Romans 5:6–11; Colossians 1:19–23; Isaiah 53:5; 1 Peter 2:21–23; 2 Corinthians 5:18–20; Romans 12:18.

Highlights:

• Why peacemaking is often despised—and why Jesus elevates it.

• The difference between righteous anger and sinful wrath.

• Humanity’s true problem: enmity with God, not merely social conflict.

• Jesus as the original Peacemaker who secured peace through the cross.

• Salvation as reconciliation, not self-improvement or religion.

• The ministry of reconciliation entrusted to every believer.

• Why peacemaking requires truth, courage, discernment, and humility.

• When confrontation is necessary—and when wisdom calls for withdrawal.

• Representing Christ in conflict without compromising the gospel.

Next Steps: Ask God to examine your heart and reveal where anger, pride, or fear may be hindering your witness. Thank Him for making peace with you through Christ. Then pray for wisdom to know when to speak, when to confront, and when to step back—always with the goal of reconciliation. This week, intentionally represent Jesus as a peacemaker in one difficult conversation, workplace interaction, or family relationship.

Blessed Are — Part 1: Blessed Are Those Who Mourn

Description: In Part 1 of Blessed Are, Pastor Eric opens the Beatitudes by slowing down on one of Jesus’ most counterintuitive promises: “Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted” (Matthew 5:4). This message clarifies that mourning isn’t only about grief after loss—though Jesus absolutely meets us there. It is also, and most importantly, about mourning over sin: seeing our fallenness clearly, becoming broken before God, and running to the only Savior who can forgive, cleanse, and comfort.

From James 4, John 6, John 10, Psalm 42, and Lamentations, Eric shows that the path to comfort is not denial, self-justification, or religious performance. Comfort comes through surrender—submitting to God, resisting the devil, drawing near to the Lord, and letting repentance become honest sorrow rather than shallow regret. Eric also addresses why sin is tempting “for a season,” why it always damages the soul, and why God’s heart toward the repentant is not condemnation but restoration.

The message then widens to the other “layers” of mourning: death, broken relationships, dashed dreams, wounds no one sees, and the long ache of grief that can feel like waves and billows rolling over the soul. In those places, believers are called to expect Jesus in their grief—to lament, to hope, to wait quietly, and to receive God’s lovingkindness that holds steady in the dark.

Finally, Eric calls the church to live as Christ’s body: God comforts by His Spirit, and He comforts through His people. We are meant to carry comfort to one another—praying, showing up, and becoming tangible reminders that mourners are not alone.

Key Scriptures (NKJV): Matthew 5:4; James 4:7–10; Hebrews 11:24–27; John 6:35–40; Matthew 11:28–30; John 10:27–30; Psalm 42:1–7; Lamentations 3:22–26; 2 Corinthians 1:3–4; Romans 10:13.

Highlights:

• “Blessed are those who mourn” has layers, but it begins with mourning over sin.

• Repentance isn’t humiliation—it’s the doorway to comfort, cleansing, and freedom.

• Sin is pleasurable “for a season,” but it always wounds the soul and harms others.

• God does not discipline to demean; He draws sinners in to restore them.

• Jesus’ comfort is not an empty offer—He keeps His promises: “I will by no means cast out.”

• Salvation is receiving a gift, not earning a reward—religion says “perform,” Christ says “receive.”

• Assurance for believers: Jesus holds His sheep, and no one can pluck them from His hand.

• Grief is real and biblical: Psalm 42 gives language for sorrow, tears, questions, and hope.

• Lament is not unbelief—it is faith speaking honestly in pain.

• God’s mercies are new every morning; the call is to get up again and hope in Him.

• The church is called to comfort one another with the comfort we’ve received from God.

Next Steps: Ask God to show you which kind of mourning you need right now—and respond with one concrete act of faith.

• If you’re mourning over sin: confess it plainly, turn from it, and come to Jesus for cleansing.

• If you’re mourning loss: lament honestly, bring your questions to God, and ask Him to meet you in the waves.

• If you’re stuck in cycles: thank God you got up again, then take one next step toward freedom.

• If someone near you is mourning: obey the nudge—pray, reach out, and offer comfort in Jesus’ name.

Description: In Part 16 of Relationships in HD, Pastor Eric turns to one of the most misunderstood aspects of love: discipline. Drawing from his own life as a dad, granddad, and former “strong-willed kid,” he shows how God’s discipline is never random, never petty, and never about venting anger—it is always formative, always purposeful, always rooted in His good will toward His children.

Before talking about discipline, Pastor Eric goes back to the foundation: Who are the children of God? From John 3, he walks through Jesus’ conversation with Nicodemus and makes it unmistakably clear: you are not born a Christian because you grew up in church, kept the rules, or tried to be good. You must be born again. There has to be a moment where you move from unbelief to belief, from “I’ve always known about God” to “I have trusted Christ as my Savior.”

Once that identity is settled, Hebrews 12 opens up: the Father disciplines His children—not to crush them, but to train them. Pastor Eric contrasts punitive discipline (reaction, rage, embarrassment, control) with biblical discipline (training, formation, character-shaping). He shows how grace itself “teaches” and trains us to deny ungodliness, and how God often uses Scripture, consequences, and even painful seasons to form Christ in us.

Along the way he challenges parents not to repeat the mistakes they received—harsh, angry, or absent discipline, or no discipline at all—but to imitate their heavenly Father: correcting from a place of good will, with a clear goal in mind, for the child’s growth and long-term good.

Practical, honest, and full of both conviction and hope, this message calls believers to receive the Father’s discipline—and then reflect it, by disciplining their own children with wisdom, love, and intentionality.

Key Scriptures (NKJV): John 3:1–8; John 3:16–18; Ephesians 2:1; Hebrews 12:9–11; 2 Timothy 3:16–17; Titus 2:11–12; Proverbs 29:18; Proverbs 4:7; Romans 2:4.

Highlights:

• Why Pastor Eric starts with this question: “Have you been born again, or have you just always been religious?”

• Not all people are God’s children—only those who have been born again by trusting Christ.

• Nicodemus as a warning: deeply religious, scripturally trained, morally upright—and still “out” without the new birth.

• What “believe” really means: not just agreeing with facts, but trusting, relying on, and acting on who Jesus is and what He’s done.

• Hebrews 12: the Father disciplines His children “for our profit, that we may be partakers of His holiness.”

• Discipline defined: not mainly punishment, but training—shaping behavior and character with a clear goal in mind.

• Grace as a teacher: how God’s kindness and favor train us to say no to sin and yes to godly living (Titus 2:11–12; Romans 2:4).

• The danger of reactionary discipline: punishing kids because they embarrassed you, not because you love them.

• Why lack of discipline is theft: how refusing to set boundaries and consequences actually robs children of growth, wisdom, and readiness for life.

• Breaking the cycle: moving beyond harsh, chaotic, or inconsistent discipline you may have received and learning to discipline from goodwill.

• God’s discipline as a gift: not proof that He’s against you, but proof that He owns you, loves you, and is committed to your holiness.

Next Steps: First, settle the foundational question: Have I been born again? If you can’t point to a time when you turned from self-reliance and trusted Christ alone to save you, begin with John 3 and ask God to bring you to that place of real faith.

Then, as a child of God, ask Him to show you where He’s currently disciplining you—not to punish you, but to train you. Instead of resisting or running, pray, “Father, what are You trying to form in me through this?”

If you’re a parent or mentor, take one practical step this week to discipline from goodwill: clarify your goal before correcting, choose calm over rage, and make sure your child knows this is about their growth, not your embarrassment. Ask God to help you break unhealthy patterns and become a living picture of His wise, firm, and loving discipline.