Introduction to the Sermon on the Mount
5 Now when Jesus saw the crowds, he went up on a mountainside and sat down. His disciples came to him, 2 and he began to teach them.
The Beatitudes
He said:
Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness,
for they will be filled.
The Fulfillment of the Law
17 “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. 18 For truly I tell you, until heaven and earth disappear, not the smallest letter, not the least stroke of a pen, will by any means disappear from the Law until everything is accomplished. 19 Therefore anyone who sets aside one of the least of these commands and teaches others accordingly will be called least in the kingdom of heaven, but whoever practices and teaches these commands will be called great in the kingdom of heaven. 20 For I tell you that unless your righteousness surpasses that of the Pharisees and the teachers of the law, you will certainly not enter the kingdom of heaven.
The Beatitudes: "Hunger and Thirst for Righteousness"
Chocolate cake? An ice-cold glass of lemonade on a hot summer day? Relief from unrelenting pain or hardship? The warm embrace of a loved one who passed too soon…What is it you desire? Jesus says those who hunger and thirst for righteousness will be filled, but what does that mean, how can we be filled by a hunger?
The good life Jesus calls us to is here, but not yet; is finished, but still in progress; is by grace, but calls for works; is losing one’s life, in order to gain it; is an insatiable love that is stuffed full. Are you full of this hunger? As we continue to examine the life Jesus calls us to we will look at what righteousness is, what righteousness does, and how we can be filled to overflowing.
Blessings
Pastor Tyler
