Ultimately, prayer is motivated by a yearning for eternity, a pull toward a time when God will make all things right and righteous. As this longing for another place moves in us from subconscious to awareness, prayer has greater power since it increasingly aligns with God’s eternal will and purpose.

Prayer is often an exercise in talking ABOUT God or even talking AT God. Especially in times of stress or suffering, we often think that events are based on our assumptions about the way life works; and things would change if we could only get God to listen to our thoughts on the matter. Yet, when God truly enters the conversation, silence is our primary response.

The cry for spiritual revival in any generation is more than merely a call for God to make society better. Rather, it is a plea for God to intervene dramatically in the decline of a nation, and to do so by raising up and re-invigorating His own people first. Praying for revival is dangerous; but not praying for revival is disastrous.

There are two lives that all humans live- There is the life they live in public to convince themselves and others that they are good and right, and there is the life they live in private that accuses them in their hearts of their shame and guilt. The enemy of God's children tells them with each passing moment that they are a fraud and guilty of all things. The message of the Gospel is that God can also see that private guilt, and He still wants to save and use us.

We live in a generation driven to remove all vestiges of God and faith from the public square. The Bible is ignored. The Constitution is twisted beyond its meaning. One offended person can block any religious exercise or censor public prayer. Christians wring their hands and worry for the future. But is this our only recourse? Can we do nothing else? What if we were desperate enough to pray as Moses prayed?

Our generation lives “on the run.” Jacob lived like that. He was literally born “on the run,” trying to outfox everyone around him. He ran from his brother Esau. He ran from his father-in-law Laban. He was really running from himself. Yet a day came when he ran out of resources and ran into God. At that moment, everything in Jacob’s life changed.

Jesus’ final point challenges disciples to live well in the middle of the “real” world. Isolation is not an option for us. Therefore, He finishes with a consideration of relationships. In other words, what does the world see in us? His closing words invite us to grasp the inevitable result of responding to or refusing His call to discipleship. Will we follow Him?

Christianity makes little sense when considered from the perspective of this world. Like an optical illusion, the benefit of a godly life is seen only when one relocates to a new vantage point. This God-perspective inevitably compels believers toward a change in priorities, a radical realignment of life.

Following a definition of true happiness and a call to influence and duty, the sermon continues with an explanation of conduct appropriate among Kingdom people. Jesus teaches it is not enough to avoid sinful behavior if we also fail to deal with the heart. Likewise, positive behavior must flow from a right heart, a correct motive. Jesus-followers display a radical commitment to a higher standard for life. 

The Sermon on the Mount presents the profile of an authentic follower of Christ. This description is not offered as a sort of ethical creed for society at large. Rather, these ideals can only be lived out in an obedience based on a personal relationship with Jesus. These principles challenge us, but they are not beyond reach as we walk in the power of the Spirit within us.