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!
1. Introducing… the King
Before we begin our journey through the sermon on the mount, let’s study Matthew’s four chapter introduction to the person and message of Jesus. He calls it “the gospel of the kingdom” (4:23): good news! John the Baptist and Jesus make two declarations: first that the...