Simple Faith

In a world that complicates Christianity with rules, performance-based demands, and religious “pizzazz,” Pastor Chuck Swindoll calls us back to the basics. Based on the Sermon on the Mount (Matthew 5–7), this 14-part series explores what it means to live an authentic, uncomplicated life. Simple Faith is about trading the “rat race” of religious works for the freedom, peace, and rest found in Jesus Christ.

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1. Let’s Keep It Simple (Matthew 5–7 Intro)

• Overview: Introduces the most famous sermon ever preached. Jesus moves past the surface-level traditions of the Pharisees to get to the heart of real spiritual life.
• Key Fact: Simple faith is not shallow; it is profound and penetrating, stripping away the “extra” to focus on the essential.
• Scripture: Matthew 5:1–2 – “He went up on the mountain… and He opened His mouth and began to teach them.”

2. The Qualities of Simple Faith (Matthew 5:1–12)

• Overview: A study of the Beatitudes. Jesus defines “blessing” in ways that contradict the world’s standards, emphasizing poverty of spirit, mourning, and meekness.
• Key Fact: The Beatitudes are not “entry requirements” for heaven, but descriptions of the character developed in those who live under God’s kingdom.
• Scripture: Matthew 5:3 – “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.”

3. A Simple Counterstrategy: Shake and Shine (Matthew 5:13–16)

• Overview: Explores the believer’s role as “salt” and “light.” Simple faith doesn’t hide; it influences the world by simply being what God intended it to be.
• Key Fact: Salt must stay salty (preserved character) and light must stay visible (public testimony) to be effective.
• Scripture: Matthew 5:13 – “You are the salt of the earth; but if the salt has become tasteless, how can it be made salty again?”

4. Simplicity Starts from Within (Matthew 5:17–20)

• Overview: Jesus explains that He didn’t come to abolish the Law, but to fulfill it. He demands a righteousness that goes deeper than the external “letter of the law.”
• Key Fact: External obedience without internal transformation is merely acting; simple faith starts in the heart.
• Scripture: Matthew 5:20 – “For I say to you that unless your righteousness surpasses that of the scribes and Pharisees, you will not enter the kingdom of heaven.”

5. Simple Instructions on Serious Issues (Matthew 5:21–32)

• Overview: Jesus addresses anger and lust, showing that the root of murder and adultery starts in the mind and the heart.
• Key Fact: Simple faith involves “radical surgery” on the thoughts and attitudes that lead to sinful actions.
• Scripture: Matthew 5:28 – “But I say to you that everyone who looks at a woman with lust for her has already committed adultery with her in his heart.”

6. Simple Advice to the Selfish and Strong-Willed (Matthew 5:33–48)

• Overview: Challenges us to be people of our word, to go the “extra mile,” and to love our enemies rather than seeking retaliation.
• Key Fact: Perfecting our love means reflecting the indiscriminate kindness of God, who sends rain on the just and the unjust.
• Scripture: Matthew 5:44 – “But I say to you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you.”

7. Beware! Religious Performance Now Showing (Matthew 6:1–6, 16–18)

• Overview: A warning against “hypocrisy”—the act of doing spiritual things (giving, praying, fasting) specifically to be seen by others.
• Key Fact: If you do it for the applause of people, that applause is the only reward you will ever get.
• Scripture: Matthew 6:1 – “Beware of practicing your righteousness before men to be noticed by them.”

8. Prayer and Fasting Minus All the Pizzazz (Matthew 6:7–15)

• Overview: Jesus provides the “Lord’s Prayer” as a model of simple, direct communication with God, devoid of meaningless repetition or showmanship.
• Key Fact: Prayer is about aligning our will with God’s, not about impressing Him with our vocabulary.
• Scripture: Matthew 6:9 – “Pray, then, in this way: ‘Our Father who is in heaven, hallowed be Your name.'”

9. When Simple Faith Erodes (Matthew 6:19–24)

• Overview: Discusses the danger of materialism. When we start storing up treasures on earth, our focus shifts and our faith becomes complicated and anxious.
• Key Fact: You cannot serve two masters; your heart will always follow your treasure.
• Scripture: Matthew 6:21 – “For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.”

10. The Subtle Enemy of Simple Faith (Matthew 6:25–34)

• Overview: A deep dive into the problem of anxiety. Jesus points to the birds and the lilies to show that God is a reliable Provider who can be trusted for tomorrow.
• Key Fact: Anxiety is “striving” for what God has already promised to provide; simple faith is “seeking first” His kingdom.
• Scripture: Matthew 6:34 – “So do not worry about tomorrow; for tomorrow will care for itself.”

11. If You’re Serious About Simple Faith, Stop This! (Matthew 7:1–5)

• Overview: The command to “judge not.” Simple faith involves looking in the mirror to remove the “log” from our own eye before pointing out the “speck” in someone else’s.
• Key Fact: We are called to be discerners, not self-appointed judges of other people’s motives.
• Scripture: Matthew 7:1 – “Do not judge so that you will not be judged.”

12. The Most Powerful of All Four-Letter Words (Matthew 7:6–12)

• Overview: Focuses on “G-I-V-E.” Jesus encourages persistence in prayer (Ask, Seek, Knock) and concludes with the Golden Rule.
• Key Fact: God is a “Good Father” who delights in giving good gifts to His children who ask Him.
• Scripture: Matthew 7:12 – “In everything, therefore, treat people the same way you want them to treat you.”

13. Simple yet Serious Warnings for Complicated Times (Matthew 7:13–23)

• Overview: Discusses the “narrow gate” and the danger of false prophets. Simple faith requires discernment because not everyone who says “Lord, Lord” truly knows Him.
• Key Fact: The “fruit” of a person’s life is the ultimate test of their spiritual authenticity.
• Scripture: Matthew 7:16 – “You will know them by their fruits.”

14. The Simple Secret of an Unsinkable Life (Matthew 7:24–29)

• Overview: The series concludes with the parable of the two builders. An “unsinkable” life is built not just on hearing the words of Jesus, but on doing them.
• Key Fact: Storms come to everyone; the difference in the outcome is the quality of the foundation.
• Scripture: Matthew 7:24 – “Therefore everyone who hears these words of Mine and acts on them, may be compared to a wise man who built his house on the rock.”

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Common Questions: Simple Faith

1. Is “Simple Faith” the same as being “simple-minded”? Not at all. As Pastor Chuck explains, simple faith is actually quite sophisticated because it requires the discipline to strip away the “religious clutter” that humans tend to add to God’s Word. It is a “refined” faith that focuses on the core teachings of Jesus.

2. How do I know if I’m trapped in “performance-based” faith? If your spiritual life feels like a “rat race” of trying to earn God’s approval through works, or if you feel a sense of “tyrannical expectation” from others, you might be in a performance trap. Simple faith is characterized by “rest” and “peace,” knowing that Christ has already done the work.

3. What does it mean to “shake and shine”? In “A Simple Counterstrategy,” this refers to being Salt (to preserve and sting) and Light (to illuminate). Simple faith doesn’t need to over-complicate its mission; it just needs to exist authentically in the world to make a difference.

4. Why is anxiety called the “subtle enemy” of faith? Anxiety is subtle because it often feels like “responsibility.” However, in Matthew 6, Jesus points out that anxiety is actually a lack of trust in God’s character as a Provider. It “erodes” simple faith by shifting our focus from God’s kingdom to our own survival.

5. What is the “simple secret” to surviving the storms of life? According to the final message, the secret is Obedience. The house built on the rock didn’t survive because the builder “knew” more than the other guy; it survived because the builder acted on what he heard. Simple faith is a “doing” faith.