June 26, 2020<\/p>\n\n\n\n
We are going to spend the next two weeks together as a church reading Jesus\u2019 teachings in the Sermon on the Mount! The Sermon on the Mount is the first of Jesus\u2019 major teachings recorded in the gospel of Matthew. In it, Jesus explains the ethics and values of the kingdom of Heaven as opposed to the ethics and values of the world. The values and principles that are to govern our lives as followers of Jesus and citizens of the kingdom of Heaven are wildly different from those that govern the various cultures of our world, including the culture in which we live. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Over the next two weeks, allow the words of the Lord Jesus to challenge the way you think, expose the worldly and idolatrous values and desires of your heart, and transform you to live in the new way that He has laid before us!<\/p>\n\n\n\n
In the first part of this passage Jesus encourages us to pray with faith, with great confidence that God will do what is best for us. Jesus compares God to an earthly father who, though he loves his children and wants the best for them, is still marred and corrupted by sin. The heavenly Father is not corrupted by sin and always does what is best for His children; we can and should present our requests to Him with boldness and trust Him with absolute confidence!<\/p>\n\n\n\n
In verse 12 Jesus gives us \u201cthe golden rule\u201d and tells us that to put this into practice is to fulfill the Law and the Prophets. When we truly do for others as we would have them do for us, we cannot possibly contradict the principles of God\u2019s Word!<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Finally, Jesus warns us of how difficult the way which leads to life is and how few actually find it. The way of the world is easy and comfortable, and it is so easy to be deceived into believing that it is actually the right way. Jesus calls us to walk in the commands and principles He has been outlining throughout this sermon, to have our lives be characterized by self-denial, radical integrity, and selfless love and service towards others. In the end, Jesus calls us to follow Him in His death (Matthew 16:24-25), so that we might also participate in His life!<\/p>\n\n\n\n
We know that, ultimately, Jesus is the only way to life (John 14:6). Jesus is the narrow gate by which we enter into life, the only place where true life can be found. He calls us to walk the narrow and difficult road, but in the end we get Him, and there is no greater prize!<\/p>\n\n\n\n