October 11, 2009
INTRODUCTION – We come today to the end of the three chapter section – typically referred to as the Sermon on the Mount (chapters 5-7), in our ongoing series through the gospel of Matthew. In this long – saturated in reality sermon – Jesus Christ is giving an invitation to you and I to be a part of a people – – who are to be an ever visible expression of the glorious kingdom of heaven – on earth. This is to be our prayer; and as it becomes our prayer – it will also become our passion; and as it becomes our passion it will become our practice.
As we learn to walk in true righteousness – as opposed to pharisaic righteousness – or the kind of religious façade that seeks to please and impress men – rather than God – – we increasingly as a people – have the opportunity to be a living demonstration of what the kingdom of God looks like to our fellow citizens and neighbors – – citizens and neighbors, who are trapped in the kingdom of darkness, and who are encouraged to stay there by false prophets and false teachers, who demonstrate the saying or truth that “misery loves company.” Continue reading Hearing and Heeding Jesus’s Words Matthew 7:24-29