The Sermon On The Mount

This is likely one of the most famous passages of Scripture. Most of us have heard of the Beatitudes. Many non-Christians can quote most of the Lord’s Prayer. Our culture hijacks selected truisms like, to “be the light of the world,” to “turn the other cheek” and “let tomorrow worry about itself,” to apply to almost anything. And likely most people could quote the “Golden Rule.”

Yet, for the most part the Sermon on the Mount remains one of the least understood and likely one of the most poorly applied portions of Scripture. It is not merely a selection of ancient pontifications from which we might gleen good, moral lessons. The Sermon speaks with relevance to our culture and our time just as much as it did to Jesus’ culture and His time on earth. It is the charter for the life of the Christian believer.

Jesus erases any blurry lines between ancient law and human interpretation; He exposes empty forms of piety, and veneers of religiosity, leaving only clarity and the shining brilliance of His glorious standards.

Salvation is a gift, freely given. And to receive it means to accept a new way of life, new goals, new objectives and a new power to move toward them for the glory of God alone. He gave us His laws to live by, and His grace to live them.

It’s time to look at Jesus Sermon on the Mount again as the people of God, and to dare to take it seriously!

We are now in Part Two of this series: Matthew 5:17 to 6:4, January/February 2012.  Sermons for Part One are available on this site by clicking here.

Come join us this Winter and listen to this sermon series.