The Sermon on the Mount

I have finished the 12 week process of teaching through Jesus' first public teaching. God came down to earth and broke apart everything that we understood to be right. Jesus fulfills the Old Testament and ties it to the new teaching that He just gave us.

He finishes by saying that anyone who just heard him and does what he says will be able to stand the storms of life with dignity, grace, and peace. Those who just heard him and did not put that into practice will remain slaves to the world and be incredible fools who are boxed in their own life of prison.

So here's the quick re-cap:

Matthew 5:1-12 - Jesus announces that he came for everyone. Feel like you don't have what it takes? Feel like you can't keep up? Feel like you don't fit in? Blessed are you because God has come to earth for you.

Matt 5:13-16 - Be salt and light. Stop things from going bad. Share the light of the good news of Jesus Christ come to earth to redeem and save.

Matt 5:17-48 - Jesus came to fulfill the law - not abolish it. There is a "good enough" and there is a "best." Don't murder? Yah that's good. How about don't let hate ruin your life?

Matt 6:1-18 - Why do you go to church? Do you do it for you? Do you do it to show off to others? Worship focuses on God, not you.

Matt 6:19-24 - Store your treasures in Heaven. You are eternal - you will outlast all the things that you are working so hard for in this world. What are the eternal things? Those are more important.

Matt 6:25-34 - Live in the present. Trust in God. Find joy in life. Do those in that order.

Matt 7:1-6 - The same measure that you use to judge others is the same measure that will be used to judge you. How's that going for you?

Matt 7:7-12 - God really does love you. Try to accept that. Lots of things don't seem to matter as much when the love of God is a reality for us. God loves you more than you could know.

Matt 7:13-23 - There is a narrow path that leads to life. To get on the narrow path you must enter the gate. The gate leads to life. Jesus is the gate. Has your life been handed over to the new life that Christ brings?

The sermon on the mount. Ground breaking.

Comments

Sophia said…
Wish I would've read (and you would've wrote) this a couple weeks ago - my lesson to my 4th graders was on the beatitudes. Great stuff!
October 20, 2009 at 9:36 AM
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