Outline Today – Review: Life vs. death, separation, gift…. – Nature of the kingdom/Contextualize the Sermon on the Mount – Invitation to greatness & reward – Blessed are the poor in spirit…. Coming Weeks – Beatitudes & Practical Applications

Review… Foundation vs. Building, His Creation vs. Our Cultivation (1 Cor 3:11-12) Salvation: Past, Present & Future!!! Man created and loosed death, sickness & pain through sin Sin kills us, God doesn’t (Rom 7:11) Sin separates…who is hiding from who? (Isa 59:2)

Does God hide or leave? If that is the case, how do we ever reconcile with God?

Who’s hiding from who? “Then the L ORD God called to the man, and said to him, “Where are you?” …I was afraid Because I was naked; so I hid myself.”” (Genesis 3:9–10, NASB95)

Sin’s Effect – The $100 Loan

The Key to LIFE is Righteousness!!! “He restores my soul; He guides me in the paths of righteousness For His name’s sake.” (Psalm 23:3, NASB95) Living righteously opens the floodgates of our soul [ senses, mind, emotions, will, conscience, heart, etc.] to receive HIS life (by grace through faith)

Garden Hose Illustration Water = Spirit Hose = ‘Flesh’

Life by the Spirit or Death by the flesh! “For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus has set you free from the law of sin and of death.” (Romans 8:2)

Life in the Spirit “For the anxious longing of the creation waits eagerly for the revealing of the (mature) sons of God.” (Romans 8:19, NASB95) “For all who are being led by the Spirit of God, these are (the fully mature) sons of God.” (Romans 8:14, NASB95)

Sermon on the Mount – Part #4 Pursuing Kingdom Life

The Nature of the Kingdom It is a kingdom of LIFE (ie. Animal kingdom, Plant kingdom) Why? Because it is based on LOVE…..

The Nature of the Kingdom It is a kingdom of LIFE Why? Because it is based on LOVE And LOVE produces INTIMACY…

The Nature of the Kingdom It is a kingdom of LIFE Why? Because it is based on LOVE And LOVE produces INTIMACY… And INTIMACY produces LIFE!!!!! God mandates love to release life (Ezek 47) Those who love are entrusted with Kingdom authority The river of God’s love, life & power is within you, let it flow!

N.T. begins with blessings!!! He came not only to purchase blessings for us, but to pour out and pronounce blessings on us; and here he does it as one having authority, as one that can command the blessing, even life for evermore…. The Old Testament ended with a curse (Mal. 4:6), the gospel begins with a blessing; for hereunto are we called, that we should inherit the blessing. - Matthew Henry’s Commentary on the Whole Bible: Complete and Unabridged in One Volume

“For the Law was given through Moses; grace and truth were realized through Jesus Christ.” (John 1:17, NASB95)

Change our Proclamation! ““The Law and the Prophets were proclaimed until John; since that time the gospel of the kingdom of God has been preached….” (Luke 16:16, NASB95) We must be faithful to proclaim the gospel of the kingdom, with signs and wonders following! (Beware of proclaiming the law & the prophets with condemnation/death following)

Preach & Demonstrate the Gospel of the Kingdom!!!! “And He said to them, “Go into all the world and preach the gospel to all creation. “He who has believed and has been baptized shall be saved; but he who has disbelieved shall be condemned. “These signs will accompany those who have believed: in My name they will cast out demons, they will speak with new tongues; they will pick up serpents, and if they drink any deadly poison, it will not hurt them; they will lay hands on the sick, and they will recover.”” (Mark 16:15–18, NASB95)

Contextualize the SOM The Sermon on the Mount is not something we must do in order to be right or to attain unto life These are pathways or corridors of grace that enable us to receive the life and fullness of God We walk in them because we’ve been made right and have been given eternal life We are working out what He has worked in us

Nothing earned…. Godly activities do not earn us God’s love, but place our cold hearts before the “bonfire of God’s presence.” (God cannot love us anymore than He already does….) Spiritual disciplines such as serving, giving, blessing, and praying the Word with fasting are ordained by God as a necessary way to posture our heart to freely receive more grace

Sermon on the Mount: Importance Jesus’ most comprehensive statement on a believer’s role in cooperating with the grace of God (these are not lists of do’s & don’ts, but keys) The ‘Constitution’ of God’s kingdom It contains the Core Values/Beatitudes of the Kingdom (thus revealing the nature of God) It is THE STANDARD for spiritual development and ministry impact It is the impartation of the kind and quality of Kingdom life

Promise: Greatness & Riches “So if you ignore the least commandment and teach others to do the same, you will be called the least in the Kingdom of Heaven. But anyone who obeys God’s laws and teaches them will be called great in the Kingdom of Heaven. “But I warn you—unless your righteousness is better than the righteousness of the teachers of religious law and the Pharisees, you will never enter the Kingdom of Heaven!” (Matthew 5:19–20, NLT)

Invitation to Greatness? Earnest desire for true greatness is God given We repent for seeking it in a wrong way The temptation is to pursue greatness the world’s way (see Matt 4:8-11) God invites us to greatness without regard for outward achievements or the size of our ministry True greatness is based on the development of our heart in love, purity, and humility

Command to store riches…. ““But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys, and where thieves do not break in or steal;” (Matthew 6:20, NASB95) We have been short sighted and narrow minded, God WANTS us to be rich with TRUE RICHES & GREATNESS!!! READ the story of Angelo!!!!!!

The End