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The Sermon on the Mount: Our Fall Focus
“Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of
heaven.”
“The meek shall inherit the earth.”
“Treat others the way you want to be
treated.”
“Walking the strait and narrow.”
“Turn the other cheek.”
Each of these sayings comes from one of
the greatest lessons of all time—the Sermon on the Mount. Who
among us has not spent time within the Sermon recorded in Matthew
5-7?
Who has not rejoiced in the promise to
“ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find;
knock, and it will be opened to you”?
Who has not quaked at the warning that
“many will say to me on that day, ‘Lord, Lord’…then I will
declare to them, ‘I never knew you depart from me you who
practice lawlessness’”?
Who has not struggled with the
instruction to “not resist an evil person; but whoever slaps you
on your right check turn the other to him also”?
Who has not been refreshed, rebuked and
challenged by Jesus in His Sermon?
Yet we keep coming back to it. We are
drawn to it, knowing it contains the concentrated essence of what
Jesus wants us to be. For whatever reason we come to the Sermon,
if we study it deeply, we cannot leave unchanged. It is indeed the
Gospel of the Kingdom.
We are beginning our
third annual Fall Focus today. In these efforts we have
studied prayer and the family. This year, we turn our attention to
a section of scripture, Jesus’ touchstone teaching—the Sermon
on the Mount.
If you are our guest, we invite you to
take part in every aspect of our study. Every sermon presented
from today through November 5 will help us understand and apply
the Sermon in our daily lives. We will examine sections of it,
such as the beatitudes. We will discuss the Jesus who taught it.
We will discuss the God of the Sermon. We will also look in depth
at applying the Sermon at home, at school, on the job and in the
local congregation. You don’t want to miss a single lesson.
We encourage your family to take one
copy of the book we are providing—The Gospel of the Kingdom: Studies in the Sermon on the Mount.
It contains five weeks of daily readings to help examine the
Sermon. Also, we have several small groups established to discuss
with others and gain help applying what we are learning.
This is going to be an exciting month. We appreciate your
presence and invite you to participate fully in this study with
us.
Edwin L. Crozier
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