The Fellowship Podcast

In His mic-dropping Sermon on the Mount, Jesus broke down the true meaning of prayer and fasting, giving us practical, everyday handholds that lead to deeper and richer prayer lives.

Jesus is preaching to the heart. He now digs deeper, moving from bad deeds to good deeds done badly. At the heart of the Kingdom is a trust in God that expresses itself in a God-like generosity. But we are tempted to make our giving about us. Jesus is asking us: What is your motivation?

In this week's study of Jesus' mic-dropping Sermon on the Mount, we learn just how important truthfulness really is.

Sexual brokenness is everywhere today. But the same was true in Jesus’ day. Consequently, he addresses it as one of the 6 examples he gives to illustrate that the fulfillment of the law is first about your heart, not your actions. How can we have hearts that bear good fruit instead of bad?

The Law is all about actions, but Jesus knew that our thoughts are just as important to our righteousness.

Is the law incompatible with grace? We continue our series on the "mic-dropping" Sermon on the Mount with a look at what Jesus has to say about these two seemingly opposite ideas.

In a shocking sermon opener, Jesus flips the script as to the kinds of people whom He favors as King. In short, it is those broken by suffering who humbly acknowledge their need for grace—they can’t achieve it on their own. But Jesus goes further. Our weakness makes us indispensable to the world at large. The world needs our vulnerability because the world needs grace.

The 9 statements of blessing (known as the Beatitudes) are not religious advice nor spiritual rules to keep. Instead, they describe an alternative reality. This Kingdom reality is opposite to our worldly reality where the strong and rich win. Jesus teaches that weakness and suffering actually lead to a winning life. Which view of reality do we trust?

We start our journey through the Sermon on the Mount at the end. Jesus is clear: we can obey or reject his teachings. But we do so at our own eternal risk. This strong challenge puts the rest of the series into perspective. We must listen carefully to Jesus’ words with intent to obey. The Sermon on the Mount is not to be admired, but obeyed.

Jesus is still inviting you to partner with Him—despite your fears and failures. And He never gives up on this invitation—even when we think we, like Peter, missed our chance.