The Most Famous Sermon
Devotional
Contrary to popular opinion, the central message of Jesus wasn’t social justice, community, or even love. It was the kingdom of God. But what is the kingdom? And how do we live into it’s reality? And what will the kingdom do to reshape our life from the ground up?
24 “Therefore everyone who hears these words of mine and puts them into practice is like a wise man who built his house on the rock. 25 The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house; yet it did not fall, because it had its foundation on the rock. 26 But everyone who hears these words of mine and does not put them into practice is like a foolish man who built his house on sand. 27 The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house, and it fell with a great crash.”
MATTHEW 7:24-29
Questions:
- What does the Sermon on the Mount teach you about God and Jesus?
- When is it most difficult for you to put Jesus' words into practice?
- What thoughts or reactions do you have to Jesus' vision of the satisfied life in Matthew 5:3-12?
- Hate and lust are attitudes that sayIn what ways do you think God has used your weaknesses for his glory?
- How can your "take" on worry clash with Jesus' take on worry in Matthew 6:25-34?
Practice The Way of Jesus:
Jesus ends his manifesto of life in the kingdom of the heavens, not with a pep talk or feel-good story, but with a warning about what happens when we don’t put his teachings into practice. In the “information age” and a cultural moment where hearing something and then doing nothing about it is the new normal, this is a warning we need to hear and heed. This week, consider meditating on the Sermon on the Mount and seek to put into practice one teaching from Jesus' sermon.