Climbing toward the Base of the Sermon on the Mount
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Matthew 4:
40 days in the wilderness and the adversary tempts Jesus to rationalize in order to get his physical, relational, and spiritual needs met. Jesus rejects the shortcuts.
John the Baptist got arrested (the powers and principalities don’t like being called out). Jesus set up in a gentile-focused area; his goal is more than his own people, it is to care for all people.
From that time Jesus began to proclaim,
“Repent, for the kingdom of heaven has come near.”
Jesus called disciples to follow him and to learn how to invite others. They went around proclaiming God’s Kingdom in word and deed. Huge numbers of people started following him.
So, next Jesus takes his disciples up to explain to them what really matters in life and how to go about keeping the main things the priority.
That is what we want to study over the next 12 weeks.
How does Jesus sum up what he is doing and teaching?
Can we really understand and follow what he says in our own lives?
What difference will that make?
Join us to find out.
