In Matthew Chapter 6 Jesus changes directions slightly in his Sermon on the Mount. He goes from warning his followers about the dangers of evil works to warning them about the potential dangers in good works. In Chapter 5, Jesus is concerned that his followers are misunderstanding or misapplying particular aspects of the Old Testament law. At the beginning of Chapter 6, he is concerned that they are doing the right things but for the wrong reasons. According to Jesus, in the Kingdom of God it's not just what we do, but it's also why we do it that matters.

“Turn the other cheek.” It’s one of the most common phrases people quote from the Bible. If properly understood, it’s one of the most powerful things Jesus taught! Unfortunately, it’s often misunderstood or neglected, and when that happens, we do great damage to ourselves and our relationships.

After telling the people that he came not to abolish the law or the prophets, but to fulfill them (vs 17), Jesus now moves on in his Sermon on the Mount to lay out six different examples that prove his point. In verses 21-30 of chapter 5, he starts out by looking at two of the Ten Commandments: murder and adultery. Instead of abolishing them, Jesus reveals their fuller meaning. By doing so, he deepens the ethical demands that are required of those who want to be a part of his kingdom. There is no doubt that anyone who takes these words from Jesus seriously, will in turn be pushed back into the Beatitudes, specifically "Blessed are the poor in spirit..." The ethical demands of the kingdom make us all poor in spirit, and according to Jesus, that's not a bad thing.

Moving from the Beatitudes with their emphasis on inward devotion, Jesus next talks about the impact His disciples will have on the world. By living out Jesus’ calling to be meek, to mourn, and to be poor in spirit, they will preserve their culture from decay and embody a compelling vision for a better way to live. Yet all this required active resistance to the world’s pressure to mold them into its image. A. W. Tozer said that the definition of a Christian is a "holy rebel set loose in the world." As we move forward in the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus will sketch out what that resistance looks like.

All four of the gospels emphasize the importance of Jesus's teaching ministry but perhaps Matthew, more than the others, highlights it the most. In fact, Matthew goes out of his way to arrange his book around five major discourses of Jesus's teaching. The first, and perhaps most powerful, one begins in Chapter 5 with what has become known as the "Sermon on the Mount." Some have called it the "Mount Everest" of Jesus's teaching. One man called it, "Jesus's state of the universe address." There's no doubt that these words of Jesus are not only beautiful, but they are also life-changing.

Fresh off His victorious encounter with Satan in the wilderness, Jesus is now ready to begin his ministry. In three paragraphs, Matthew gives us an introduction to that ministry in the form of a highlight reel: What will Jesus do? Who will He do it with? And where will He do it from? The answer to each question is packed with insight about Jesus and the Kingdom He is bringing. Finally, we'll answer the question: Who is the person God uses?

In our previous message we saw at Jesus's baptism that his Father blessed him with the Holy Spirit and with an affirmation of his identity as the Son. As we move into Chapter 4 we see all of that immediately tested. The Spirit leads Jesus into the wilderness to be tested, and if Israel's history is anything to go by, this is a dangerous situation. Will Jesus give in to evil and idolatry like Israel or will he prove to be the faithful Son?

Matthew chapter 2 ends with Jesus being a small child, as his family returns to Israel after having fled to Egypt for safety. However, when we continue to chapter 3 we see that 25-30 years have passed and Jesus is now an adult. Chapters 1 and 2 are filled with many supernatural encounters and expectations, and yet now several decades have passed and nothing has really changed. What is Jesus doing? Why is there such a delay in what was promised and him fulfilling it? Did Mary and Joseph get it wrong, or did they miss something? Fortunately for them, and us, chapter 3 marks the beginning of Jesus's ministry. He is the King and because of that, his kingdom is at hand. This means the people better prepare themselves. And who better to help prepare them than a throwback prophet like John the Baptist.

As the election approaches, what are you feeling? Afraid, confused, detached or cynical? Is there any guidance from the Bible regarding how to approach the election and our politically polarized world? Is it possible to think, feel and see like Jesus, even though His world seems so far away from ours? I believe it is. In a powerful encounter towards the end of His life, Jesus offered a radically new perspective on our relationship to government--one that still informs, guides and reverberates in contemporary life two thousand years later.