Why Your Goodness is a False Hope

Unmasking the Polite Duplicity of Our Words

Our natural impulse is to manipulate and control others with our words. Matthew 5 shows how double-talk fractures the soul. In this message, Pastor Philip Miller proves how low-level deceit destroys community and erodes our identity. Discover why crossing your fingers behind your back reveals a deep heart problem. This is part two of the sermon, "Manipulation on the Lips." This month's special offer is available for a donation of any amount. Get yours at https://livinghopeoffer.net or call us at 1-800-215-5001. 00:00 – Coercive Self-Interest: Why we cross our fingers behind our backs. 01:13 – The Integrity Integer: Why soul fragmentation is so broken. 02:26 –Civilized Deceit: A deep look into the five low-level lies we use to save face and fit in. 03:52 – The Chameleon Identity: How shape-shifting makes us believe our own lies. 05:01 – The Fine Print: How religious leaders created clauses on their promises. 06:17 – The Drive-Through Test: Why every careless word will face God's final judgment. Moody Church Media [https://www.moodymedia.org/], home of "Living Hope" and "Moody Church Hour," exists to bring glory to God through the transformation of lives. Dr. Philip Miller is the 17th Senior Pastor of The Moody Church. He is the featured speaker on "Living Hope" and "Moody Church Hour," with programs broadcasting on 700 outlets in the U.S. He and his wife Krista live in Chicago with their four children. Pastor Philip is passionate about proclaiming God's Word, cultivating healthy ministry, and investing in future leaders. SUPPORT: Tax Deductible Support: https://www.moodymedia.org/donate/ Become an Endurance Partner: https://endurancepartners.org/ SUBSCRIBE: YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@MoodyChurchMedia Daily Devotional and Weekly Digest: https://www.moodymedia.org/newsletters/subscription/

Exposing the Hidden Manipulation on Our Lips

Your everyday behavior is just the tip of the iceberg. Matthew 5 shows us that the real problem isn't just our bad habits, but our hearts. In this message, Pastor Philip Miller unpacks how our words—faithful or not—reveal what is really going on inside us. Discover how first-century religious elites used loopholes to back out of their promises. This is part one of the sermon, "Manipulation on the Lips." This month's special offer is available for a donation of any amount. Get yours at https://livinghopeoffer.net or call us at 1-800-215-5001. 00:00 – Getting the Diagnosis Right: Why only changing outward behavior completely fails. 00:54 – An Unexpected Turn: Why Jesus moves from murder and adultery to how we talk. 01:45 – Swearing Oaths: How human societies build credibility through promises. 02:44 – Grading the Truth: Exposing ridiculous and manipulative religious rules. 03:22 – The Pavement Stone Loophole: How people used word games. 04:03 – Modern Word Games: Tracking how we shift blame, gossip, or hide motives. Moody Church Media [https://www.moodymedia.org/], home of "Living Hope" and "Moody Church Hour," exists to bring glory to God through the transformation of lives. Dr. Philip Miller is the 17th Senior Pastor of The Moody Church. He is the featured speaker on "Living Hope" and "Moody Church Hour," with programs broadcasting on 700 outlets in the U.S. He and his wife Krista live in Chicago with their four children. Pastor Philip is passionate about proclaiming God's Word, cultivating healthy ministry, and investing in future leaders. SUPPORT: Tax Deductible Support: https://www.moodymedia.org/donate/ Become an Endurance Partner: https://endurancepartners.org/ SUBSCRIBE: YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@MoodyChurchMedia Daily Devotional and Weekly Digest: https://www.moodymedia.org/newsletters/subscription/

How Jesus Resurrects a Dead Marriage

God is with you during the painful, abrasive fights in a marriage. Matthew 5 shows us that Jesus isn't listing out rules but making us new, refining our hearts. In this message, Pastor Philip Miller unpacks how the Lord uses relational heat to forge a love that lasts. Hear the anniversary letter of a couple whose resurrected marriage altered their family tree. This is part three of the sermon, "Divorce on the Mind." This month's special offer is available for a donation of any amount. Get yours at https://livinghopeoffer.net or call us at 1-800-215-5001. 00:00 – The Marital Furnace: Reframing the laboratory for daily holiness. 01:20 – The Enacted Parable: How God pursues His unfaithful, cheating people like Hosea. 02:44 – The Orphan Demand: How survival mindsets create crushing expectations. 04:14 – The Gym Buddy Error: Using good judgment to process deep relational wounds. 05:47 – Choosing Grace: When having biblical grounds for divorce doesn't give us an out. 06:53 – Beauty From Ashes: The real-life testimony of a family line saved from divorce. Moody Church Media [https://www.moodymedia.org/], home of "Living Hope" and "Moody Church Hour," exists to bring glory to God through the transformation of lives. Dr. Philip Miller is the 17th Senior Pastor of The Moody Church. He is the featured speaker on "Living Hope" and "Moody Church Hour," with programs broadcasting on 700 outlets in the U.S. He and his wife Krista live in Chicago with their four children. Pastor Philip is passionate about proclaiming God's Word, cultivating healthy ministry, and investing in future leaders. SUPPORT: Tax Deductible Support: https://www.moodymedia.org/donate/ Become an Endurance Partner: https://endurancepartners.org/ SUBSCRIBE: YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@MoodyChurchMedia Daily Devotional and Weekly Digest: https://www.moodymedia.org/newsletters/subscription/

How Jesus Heals a Consumer Marriage

Do you view wedding vows as a lifelong promise or a business deal? Matthew 5 warns that hunting for an easy way out of marriage destroys our spiritual integrity. In this message, Pastor Philip Miller confronts ancient loopholes to show how Jesus heals our selfish hearts. Discover how counting your partner's flaws turns you into an accountant of darkness. This is part two of the sermon, "Divorce on the Mind." This month's special offer is available for a donation of any amount. Get yours at https://livinghopeoffer.net or call us at 1-800-215-5001. 00:00 – The Any-Cause Loophole: When divorce became "easy and painless." 01:46 – The Marriage Pattern: Looking back at God's original design for marriage. 03:02 – The Safety Rule Myth: Why the law was twisted into cheap excuses. 04:14 – Spouses as Products: Unpacking our modern consumeristic mindset. 05:25 – The Numb Roommate: Spotting the warning signs that destroy a marriage. 06:40 – The Ledger of Wrongs: Exposing the danger of constantly rehearsing faults. Moody Church Media [https://www.moodymedia.org/], home of "Living Hope" and "Moody Church Hour," exists to bring glory to God through the transformation of lives. Dr. Philip Miller is the 17th Senior Pastor of The Moody Church. He is the featured speaker on "Living Hope" and "Moody Church Hour," with programs broadcasting on 700 outlets in the U.S. He and his wife Krista live in Chicago with their four children. Pastor Philip is passionate about proclaiming God's Word, cultivating healthy ministry, and investing in future leaders. SUPPORT: Tax Deductible Support: https://www.moodymedia.org/donate/ Become an Endurance Partner: https://endurancepartners.org/ SUBSCRIBE: YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@MoodyChurchMedia Daily Devotional and Weekly Digest: https://www.moodymedia.org/newsletters/subscription/

How God Regulates Our Broken Relationships

When life falls apart, does God leave you to fend for yourself? Matthew 5 reveals that while our sin-shattered world breaks covenants, God never breaks His character. In this message, Pastor Philip Miller explains how Israel's laws show how the Lord actively protects the vulnerable. Discover how an ancient certificate of divorce could be an act of mercy. This is part one of the sermon, "Divorce on the Mind." This month's special offer is available for a donation of any amount. Get yours at https://livinghopeoffer.net or call us at 1-800-215-5001. 00:00 – The Roots of Inhumanity: Why divorce is a symptom of a deeper inner disease. 01:21 – The Danger to Women: How wives in polygamist cultures were left vulnerable. 02:40 – The Requirement of Cause: Why Moses mandated legal certificates. 04:02 – The Slave-Wife Protection: Rescuing spouses from abusive arrangements. 05:22 – The Biblical Bedrock: Gathering the combined testimony of Scripture. 06:40 – Husband to the Husbandless: God hates broken covenants but loves broken people. Moody Church Media [https://www.moodymedia.org/], home of "Living Hope" and "Moody Church Hour," exists to bring glory to God through the transformation of lives. Dr. Philip Miller is the 17th Senior Pastor of The Moody Church. He is the featured speaker on "Living Hope" and "Moody Church Hour," with programs broadcasting on 700 outlets in the U.S. He and his wife Krista live in Chicago with their four children. Pastor Philip is passionate about proclaiming God's Word, cultivating healthy ministry, and investing in future leaders. SUPPORT: Tax Deductible Support: https://www.moodymedia.org/donate/ Become an Endurance Partner: https://endurancepartners.org/ SUBSCRIBE: YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@MoodyChurchMedia Daily Devotional and Weekly Digest: https://www.moodymedia.org/newsletters/subscription/