Living in God's Kingdom

Our world operates with a performance based mentality. They ask, “how can you succeed in school, sports, business, etc.?” Do you have what it takes - talent, money, knowledge? The world says that you must perform with excellence to have the “good life.” Jesus shares a radically different path than what the world suggests which shocks and even angers the world in these verses of His Sermon on the Plain.

On the heels of three different conflicts that Jesus has just had, we see Him on His knees in prayer. How much more should we depend on God in prayer? Jesus is about to choose the twelve apostles. A disciple is a follower of Jesus. In that sense, every Christian is a disciple. An apostle is a messenger sent by God, holding a special office in the New Testament. They would be the foundation of God’s people, called by God to write the New Testament and establish the church. Who would you choose for this task? What is remarkable about these men is that they unremarkable. Do you feel weak and underqualified for the task God is calling you to? If you do, that’s a good thing, because you will depend on God and not self.

In verses 17-19, Jesus heals the sick. The purpose of these miracles is to validate His identity and prove His authority. It’s important to understand this because when He starts preaching, He will flip the world’s view of success. He is flipping it “right-side-up.” This is what life looks like in the Kingdom.
The world says that you should live your best life now. If this is all there is, then you must pursue all the pleasure, money, things, and success now. What does Jesus say? The crowd to which Jesus preaches is still undecided about who Jesus is. While His sermon has value for the whole crown, Jesus is preaching to His disciples specifically.

Sermon Outline
1. A disciple of Jesus lives today with an eternal perspective. Vs. 20-26
2. A disciple of Jesus loves supernaturally. Vs. 27-36
3. A disciple of Jesus makes Godly judgments. Vs. 37-49