Sermon On the Mount

Matt. 6:25-34, “25 “Therefore I tell you, do not be anxious about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink, nor about your body, what you will put on. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothing? 26 Look at the birds of the air: they neither...

Today, I would ask you to consider the question: Where are you spending yourself for that which does not profit? A close examination of where you expend the most energy, time and resources will reveal quickly what you prize the most. For some of us, this can be such a...

Matthew 6:16-18, “16 “And when you fast, do not look gloomy like the hypocrites, for they disfigure their faces that their fasting may be seen by others. Truly, I say to you, they have received their reward. 17 But when you fast, anoint your head and wash your face,...

Matthew 6:14-15, “For if you forgive others their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you, but if you do not forgive others their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses.” God’s gifts to His children require something of them. As...

Matthew 6:13 “And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil.” In verse 12 Jesus taught His disciples to ask for forgiveness when they have broken their relationship with the Father. Because God forgives us, we are to be forgiving toward others. Being...

Matthew 6:12,  “and forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors.” Jesus’ main idea in His teaching on prayer is that prayer is about God. Prayer is God-centered because it is communion with Him, it is one way His children develop and strengthen their...

Matthew 6:11 “Give us this day our daily bread.” Up to this point, we have learned from Jesus’ teaching on prayer that it must be God-centered. We pray to our Father is reigning in Heaven. We are to honor the name, the character of our great Father in prayer. Our...

Matthew 6:10, “Your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven.” In Matthew 6:9 Jesus taught His disciples that prayer is God-centered. Prayer is offered to our Father who reigns from heaven, and we come to our Father to honor Him. Jesus continues...

Pray then like this: “Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name. The Lord’s prayer is part of Jesus’ extended teaching on prayer to His disciples. They are not to be like the hypocrites who pray to be seen by others but should pray in quiet (6:5-6). He urges His...

Perhaps more than anything, our prayer life reveals the true state of our relationship with God. Because this is so, Jesus wants everyone who follows him to understand the nature of prayer and to practice it in such a way that it glorifies God and nourishes their...

Matthew 6:1-4, “Beware of practicing your righteousness before other people in order to be seen by them, for then you will have no reward from your Father who is in heaven. Thus, when you give to the needy, sound no trumpet before you, as the hypocrites do in the...

Matthew 5:43-48, “You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’ But I say to you, Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, so that you may be sons of your Father who is in heaven. For he makes his sun rise on the...

Matthew 5:38-42, “You have heard that it was said, ‘An eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth.’ But I say to you, Do not resist the one who is evil. But if anyone slaps you on the right cheek, turn to him the other also. And if anyone would sue you and take your...

If I could have a superpower, I would want to be able to speak with such force that the things I say actually happen: instantly, completely, and as beautifully as I imagined. I know that I currently do not have this power because I have four kids. I speak clear,...

Matthew 5:31-32, “31 “It was also said, ‘Whoever divorces his wife, let him give her a certificate of divorce.’ 32 But I say to you that everyone who divorces his wife, except on the ground of sexual immorality, makes her commit adultery, and whoever marries a...

Matthew 5:27-30, “You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall not commit adultery.’ But I say to you that everyone who looks at a woman with lustful intent has already committed adultery with her in his heart. If your right eye causes you to sin, tear it out and throw...

Matthew 5:17–20, ““Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them. For truly, I say to you, until heaven and earth pass away, not an iota, not a dot, will pass from the Law until all is...

Matthew 5:13–16, “ You are the salt of the earth, but if salt has lost its taste, how shall its saltiness be restored? It is no longer good for anything except to be thrown out and trampled under people's feet. “You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill...

Matthew 5:9, “Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God.”   If we are to use one word to describe what the gospel brings to people when they repent and believe, that one word would be salvation. God’s people are saved from the wrath of God when...

Matthew 5:8, “Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God.” As we come to the sixth “blessing” given here by Jesus, we can see an astonishing promise given to us by our Lord. Before beholding the glory of the promise, let us strive to understand the...

Matthew 5:7, “Blessed are the merciful, for they shall receive mercy.” The Word of God is a comfort for Christians who believe in Christ alone. Yet, Christians must admit that some passages can be frightening because of their implications. One example is the...

Matthew 5:5, “Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth.” The Jewish crowd that gathered at the mountain for Jesus’ sermon had high expectations of the coming Messiah. Looking to Old Testament prophecies, they sought a king who would defeat their enemies...

Everyone seems to be selling a method to their happiness these days. Even Christians offer consultation services to share their wisdom on how to have a more fulfilling life in Christ. While I'm sure God has blessed many of us with particular strengths and gifts that...

After Jesus had been baptized and blessed by God the Father and God the Holy Spirit (Matthew 3:13-17), he endured the fierce temptations of the devil (4:1-11), began his ministry (4:12-17) and called his first disciples (4:18-22). Sometime after this, he went...

Editor’s note: The purpose of this series is to walk our readers through the Sermon on the Mount in Matthew 5-7 in order to help them understand what it teaches and how to apply it to our lives. This is our first such series here at Servants of Grace through an...

Editor’s note: The purpose of this series is to walk our readers through the Sermon on the Mount in Matthew 5-7 in order to help them understand what it teaches and how to apply it to our lives. This is our first such series here at Servants of Grace through an...