Sermons on Matthew (Page 4)

Matt 5:3 This week we will begin taking a Sunday for each Beatitude found at the beginning of Jesus’ Sermon on the Mount. In this famous passage, Jesus is describing what happens to people when they attach themselves to him. He goes up on a mountain and begins to teach them by describing the character traits found in people attached to him. Jesus starts with ‘Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.’ This verse is the foundation of and sets the tone for the entire sermon. In fact, it is not a bad idea to read it before every other verse in the sermon. So, what did Jesus mean by ‘poor in spirit’ and what relationship does this verse have to Luke’s version of this Beatitude, which reads ‘Blessed are the poor,’ rather than ‘poor in spirit’ (Luke 6:20)? Hope you will join us as we dig into God’s Word together this Freedom Sunday.

Matt 5:1-10 Now that we have finished our Judges study, what were the judges lacking? In general, they were lacking character. The judges had charisma, but no character. This Sunday we will kick off a new series we’re calling ‘Living Right-Side Up in an Upside-Down World’ in which we will study The Sermon on the Mount. In this famous sermon, Jesus describes for us what his kingdom life is all about, and it all begins with character. What kind of character do the people of God have? Jesus tells us in the Beatitudes, some of the most famous sayings ever uttered. Some might think Hallmark came up with them, but no, Jesus said them. And, he said them to bring us life! Meditate over them this week and decide which one is your favorite, and which one is the most challenging for you.