Jesus finishes the sermon on the Mount with the challenge that there are two ways to live - two gates, two trees and two foundations.

Jesus says that we are not to be judgemental of others … but we are to be discerning. If we are serious about being faithful followers of Jesus … all you have to do is pray.

The Christian life is to be lived in dependance upon God and recognising that the greatest wealth we have is our relationship with God and heaven itself.

God doesn't want people who go through the "religious motions" or who do things to be noticed and praised by others. He wants people who know him as their heavenly father and then live that way.

Jesus shows that being part of the Kingdom involves an obedience that goes all the way to the heart … not just superficial legalistic law-keeping.

In the Beattitudes Jesus radically redefines what it means to be "blessed" (approved) by God. Approval by God is about recognising our spiritual poverty and humbly accepting what God gives us.

This is the very beginning of Jesus' ministry … and shows a lot about the nature of what he has come to do. Jesus faces temptations from Satan, calls people to repent, calls the disciples to work with him, and proclaims that the kingdom has come.

Jesus has come and his coming means that the kingdom is near. But this also means that judgement is near. What God wants from us is repentance … and lives that bear the fruit of repentance.