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SERMON ON THE MOUNT

The Path to the Kingdom – (Jesus proclaimed a new political reality, the Kingdom of God, one that bears little resemblance to the political systems of this age)

Love YOUR Enemy – (Mercy and love are the defining characteristics of his disciple and reflect the nature of God)

The Law and the Prophets – (Jesus came to bring all this is promised and foreshadowed in the Hebrew scriptures to fulfillment)

Christian Response to Persecution – (Disciples must not respond in kind to persecutors)

Prudent or Foolish? – (At the conclusion of the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus claims absolute authority for his words. Ignore them at your peril – Matthew 7:21-28)

Persecution and Disciples – (To suffer for Jesus is the greatest honor before God for a Christian)

TO FOLLOW THE LAMB

Only in Jesus – (Jesus of Nazareth is the interpretive key that unlocks the Hebrew scriptures and Revelation)

Only in Jesus – (Jesus of Nazareth is the interpretive key that unlocks the Hebrew scriptures and Revelation)

Meaning of Discipleship – (To be his disciple means to pursue self-sacrificial service for others)

Whosoever will Follow Me – (For a fleeting moment, the eyes of Peter were opened to “see” just who he was)

Parable of the Sower – (The Son of Man sows the seed of the gospel in the world where it grows into the kingdom of God until the end of the age – Mark 4:1-20)

Kingdom Parables – (Jesus taught several parables concerning God’s kingdom, its unexpected ways of expansion, and its status in the world – Mark 4:21-34)

Embracing the Cross – (To be the Messiah means suffering and death, and he summons his disciples to follow the same path)

Seizing the Kingdom – (Christ’s comment on violence taking the kingdom refers to violent men who seize the work of God)

Jesus Refused Political Power – (His messiahship is not based on the coercive political powers of this age. Jesus, thereby, refused to render homage to Satan)

Cost of Discipleship – (To be a disciple means to take up one’s cross daily and to follow in his steps wherever they lead)

Disciples and Persecution – (When disciples react to hostility with hostility, whether by government, society, or individuals, Satan triumphs)

Following Jesus – (The Messiah of Israel submitted to the way of the Cross and summoned his disciples to follow him on the very same path)

THE END OF THE AGE

Fruitless Temple – (The barren fig tree symbolized the fruitlessness of the Temple)

The Temple is Judged – (Departing the Temple, Jesus pronounced its impending desolation)

In the Temple – (Jesus gave his final discourse following his final departure from the Temple)

Geographic Scope – (Jesus described events set in different geographic settings – regional and universal)

Wars and Rumors – (Jesus warned about coming deceivers who propagate false expectations about the end)

Repeated Warnings – (Jesus reiterated key information that is necessary for his followers to avoid being misled by deceivers)

Sign of the End – (It will not come until this gospel is proclaimed to all nations)

Abomination that Desolates – (When the desolating abomination appears, disciples must flee Jerusalem)

THIS Generation – (The generation contemporary with Jesus would see the Temple destroyed)

Budding Fig Tree – (The parable of the budding fig tree pointed to the events leading up to the destruction of the Temple)

Coming on Clouds – (The whole earth will witness the Son of Man arriving on the clouds to gather his elect to himself)

Knowing Times and Seasons – (Did Jesus command his disciples to know the “times and Seasons” of the end?)

The “Days of Noah” – Normalcy or Chaos? – (Does the analogy by Jesus to the “days of Noah” forecast a time of chaos or normalcy?)