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The Jesus Way

The Lord’s Manifesto in the Sermon on the Mount

Early in his public ministry Jesus described what a citizen of his kingdom looks like in the eight beatitudes. He closed the sermon with a call to wisely apply his teachings and not foolishly ignore them. In between these eloquent and memorable bookends, the Master Teacher summarized how he would fulfill the Law and call his followers to do the same. 
Nothing less than a complete transformation of identity and purpose would be sufficient to make his early followers (and us today) capable of being salt and light in this dark, broken world; of replacing worry with a commitment to God’s kingdom above all; of loving our enemies and learning to genuinely pray “your kingdom come.” Come to hear these familiar teachings in a fresh way and with a heart ready to be challenged and changed as we walk “the Jesus way” together!

13. Our Struggle Against Sin

Jesus did not come to abolish the Old Testament Law but to “fill it full.” He did not soften the righteous requirements of the Law but instead dug deeper, right to the heart of the human condition, calling us to “be perfect as your heavenly Father is perfect.” Jesus’...

12. Anger

Six times in Matthew 5 Jesus says, “You have heard it said, but I say to you,” to illustrate His rabbinic approach to righteous living. In short, He makes it clear that the main issue is our hearts (Luke 6:45). And what is in your heart will come out in your emotions,...

11. Righteousness

As a new rabbi on the scene in Israel, calling disciples to follow His way, what did Jesus present as His central teachings and practices? Did He reject the Law of Moses and abandon the Old Testament? Strikingly Jesus made it clear, “I did not come to abolish the Law...

10. Salt and Light

At the very beginning of His public ministry, Jesus began to instruct his disciples in what it meant to follow Him and live as citizens of His kingdom. This section about being salt and light shows the life of a disciple is first about a new identity in Christ and...

9. Endurance

Jesus concludes the beautifully balanced beatitudes with a special blessing on those who are persecuted for His name and for righteousness. As those who follow a Master who was severely persecuted, why should we expect different treatment than He received? This week...

Reconciliation

"Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come. All this is from God, who through Christ reconciled us to himself and gave us the ministry of reconciliation." 2 Corinthians 5:18-19 The ministry God gave us...

8. Peacemakers

The roots of faith (humility, repentance and submission) enable us to grow in Christ as we hunger and thirst for righteousness, all of which will produce the fruit of faith: mercy, purity and the ministry of a peacemaker. The beatitudes are sequential and build on one...

7. The Pure in Heart

The blessing for the pure in heart is that “they shall see God.” Unfortunately, no one can be completely pure in heart since our loyalties and commitments are so divided. Yes, we love God with some of our heart, soul, mind and strength, but can we ever honestly say we...

6. Blessed are the Merciful

The first three beatitudes establish the roots of faith in Jesus (humility, repentance and submission). The fourth beatitude shows us how to grow in Christ, by hungering and thirsting after righteousness. Now in the fifth beatitude we begin to see the fruit of faith....

Mercy

"Beloved, let us love one another, for love is from God, and whoever loves has been born of God and knows God. 8 Anyone who does not love does not know God, because God is love. 9 In this the love of God was made manifest among us, that God sent his only Son into the...