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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!

30. Be Secure

The Sermon on the Mount concludes with several serious warnings which tie into other warnings already in Matthew's gospel and others to come later in Matthew. Nothing less than eternal salvation is at stake. And it is possible, Jesus says, to do miracles in his name...

29. Be Sure

The last section of the Sermon on the Mount includes several very serious warnings. Looking back to the rest of the sermon and the chapters in Matthew leading up to it, we see dramatic warnings from John the Baptist and Jesus there as well. Jesus clearly states, “by...

28. The Law of Love

Jesus made it clear that he did not come “to abolish the Law and the Prophets but to fulfill them” (Matt. 5:17-18). In our passage this weekend we will hear what it means to “fulfill the Law and the Prophets.” In all probability, you have heard this verse and even...

27. Ask, Seek, Knock

From the prayer, “Your kingdom come,” to the command “Seek first the kingdom,” we now come to the same word (“seek”) in the middle of a three-part exhortation to Ask, Seek, and Knock. What should we ask for? What should we seek? On what doors should we knock? The...

26. Do Not Judge

As we turn to Matthew 7 and the last section of the Sermon on the Mount, we come to this memorable warning, “Judge not, that you not be judged.” Why is it so important that followers of Jesus not be judgmental of others? We already saw in the Lord’s prayer the...

25. First Things First

Jesus spoke in Matthew 6 against worrying and being anxious. He thankfully didn't just give us a command, but told us what to do instead! John Schneider will show us on Sunday how we can combat the worry and instead "Seek first the kingdom of God and His...

24. Don’t Worry

Jesus concludes Matthew 6 with a threefold command to “not be anxious.” Followers of Jesus are not to be overly concerned, preoccupied, or worried about little things like food, water, or clothing. Worldly people chase after these things, but godly people trust in our...

23. Treasure in Heaven

As we “practice our righteousness,” by giving, praying, forgiving and fasting, Jesus moves from the specific to the general purposes behind those practices. Which world are we living for? This earthly one that is falling apart before our eyes? Or the spiritual kingdom...

22. When You Fast

Fasting has become pretty popular from a health and dieting perspective, but its primary purpose is spiritual – to draw closer to God and reduce our dependency on ourselves and the things of this world. Jesus does not say, “If you ever get around to this thing called...

21. How to Pray

The Lord Jesus taught us what not to do in prayer, and now He shows us how to pray. The Lord’s Prayer is genuinely the best prayer ever prayed and the best model for us to follow as we learn the practice of prayer. There are five steps Jesus outlines for us: beginning...