Solid Ground

Every year the news shows shocking scenes of houses washed away in mudslides, hurricanes, or floods. No matter how grand or beautiful the homes might have been, they end up in rubble when strong storms hit because they weren’t built on solid ground. Life is the same way. Storms like job losses, health problems, or broken relationships can sweep you away unless your foundation is built on something immovable and unchanging—a relationship with Jesus Christ.

In this series by Jill, she explores the Beatitudes, a well-known teaching from Jesus that gives practical guidelines about the outward actions and inward attitudes of believers. This rich teaching gives you the tools to deepen your relationship with Christ as you study His compelling and challenging life lessons.

Jill introduces a new series called “Solid Ground,” prompted by overhearing conversations that revealed how little stability people have without Christ. Using Jesus’ parable of the wise and foolish builders in Matthew 7, she explains that true stability comes from building one’s life on Jesus’ teachings, especially the Beatitudes, which form the foundation for a blessed life.

Scripture: Matthew 5:3

Jesus continues His “solid ground” teaching by explaining that true stability comes from depending on God rather than ourselves, beginning with being poor in spirit and then learning to mourn our sin. This mourning is not about grieving death but about honestly facing our spiritual poverty, which leads us to God’s comfort and to the transforming life Christ provides.

Scripture: Matthew 5:4

Jill continues teaching through the Beatitudes by explaining that meekness is not weakness but controlled strength—power harnessed under God’s authority. She warns that many people, even Christians, are biblically illiterate, and urges listeners to understand meekness as humility and self‑control that allows God to work through us rather than relying on our own greatness.

Scripture: Matthew 5:5

Jesus teaches that real happiness comes from a relationship with Him, and this includes hungering and thirsting for righteousness—a longing for God that is deeper and more urgent than any other desire. Jill contrasts this spiritual hunger with all the other things people crave, urging believers to seek God with the same intensity and constancy that physical hunger demands.

Scripture: Matthew 5:6

Portia’s famous speech from The Merchant of Venice becomes the springboard for a lesson on mercy, which must “season” justice just as salt seasons food. Jill contrasts our human tendency to demand our rights and exact a “pound of flesh” with Scripture’s call to extend mercy—an attribute of God Himself and a requirement for His people.

Scripture: Matthew 5:7

Jesus’ teaching on “the pure in heart” means cultivating an inner life that is clean, whole, and unmixed, like pure gold or a scrubbed‑clean dish, so that nothing corrupts our devotion to God. Jill explains that such purity—whether moral, sexual, or spiritual—allows us to see God, a privilege far greater than the fleeting pleasures our culture chases.

Scripture: Matthew 5:8

You can’t be a peacemaker if you don’t have peace with Jesus, the Prince of Peace. We’ve all heard this before, but do we really understand what that means and how to practice it in our lives? 

In this message, Jill Briscoe talks about the path to finding our peace with Jesus and making peace with others. It’s an important topic—because we can’t mend our marriages, settle family conflicts, or resolve issues with others if we don’t truly understand what having peace means. 

Scripture: Matthew 5:9

Jesus teaches that those who follow Him should expect persecution, because the world that opposed Him will also oppose His people. Yet believers are called to rejoice, knowing that suffering for righteousness links them with the prophets before them and carries the promise of a great reward in heaven.

Scripture: Matthew 5:10

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