Many have noted a change in emphasis between the 4th and 5th beatitudes.The first four speak of qualities of the repentance that turns to the Lord. Beginning with the 5th, these virtues are now an outgrowth of the converted and changed life. Mercy is one dimension of the love of God that involves compassion on those in need and acts to relieve their misery.

An altered physical appetite is a sign of changes in the body and an altered spiritual appetite is a sign of a work of God in a man's heart. People that are blessed by God have a hunger and thirst after righteousness. In this case "righteousness" is referring to a desire to be right with God. This is not the appetite of men and women apart from the grace of God. When a man has an appetite to be right with God, the longings of his heart will be satisfied by God himself.

The Sermon on the Mount is not an anti-dote for social ills and a promotion of political activism. Neither is it applicable only for a future millennial kingdom. Jesus was evangelizing through this sermon. The first three beatitudes point to marks of a saving repentance.

The ministry of Jesus consisted of teaching/preaching and of healing/miracles. The miracles were not primarily displays of compassion but signs of the identity of Jesus. Christianity at its core is not about physical and social dynamics; it is at its core a matter of responding with faith and obedience to the words of God.

This text records the call to four men to leave their occupation and serve in a full time capacity. The first prong of the call was to walk with the Lord. The second prong was to invest their lives in reaching men with the gospel. Their response was immediate even though it was at considerable cost.

Matthew 4:12ff, records Matthew's first report of the public ministry of Jesus. From cross-referencing we know Matthew has skipped over earlier ministry in Judea and Nazareth and the opposition and rejection experienced. Matthew just points to the hand of God fulfilling Isaiah's prophecy to favor people in darkness with the light.

In the third temptation the devil appealed to Jesus to obtain from him what the Father had already promised he'd give the Son. The appeal was to shortcut the wait and the difficulty endured during the wait. The response of the Lord indicated that waiting to receive God's will in God's time and God's way was an act of worship.

What are the qualities of sacred music that contribute to a true spiritual blessing as opposed to just a good feeling? A text saturated with the Scripture. A purpose to teach and admonish. And the entire package - text, sound, musician, musicianship, and all accessories be a suitable offering to the Lord.

In the first temptation the devil urged Jesus to display his divine power to meet the needs of his humanity. In the second the devil used the Scripture to urge Jesus to prove his professed dependence on the words of His Father by doing something presumptuous in the name of faith.

You can be saved, surrendered, and separated and still miss out on living in the will of God if your mind is not saturated with the Word of God. The Word is the means the Spirit uses to transform us into the image of Christ.