Apprentice 2 Jesus

Sermon on the Mount

  • Proclamation and Demonstration

    When Jesus arrives on the scene in ministry (Matthew 4), he arrives with a powerful message: “The kingdom of heaven is arriving.” This SHOULD call for a response. Then, he demonstrates the power of the kingdom. The sick are healed. The demonized are set free. This king means business.  It, of course, draws a crowd. Out of that… Read more

  • The Capacity of Growth in the Kingdom of God

    “If you forgive those who sin against you, your heavenly Father will forgive you. But if you refuse to forgive others, your Father will not forgive your sins.” (Matt. 6:14-15, NLT) These are a couple of verse we like to skip when we go through the Lord’s Prayer, but they are two of the most… Read more

  • The Nature of the Kingdom

    What I tell my church constantly (which is what I learned from Dallas Willard) is this: The nature of the Kingdom is to ASK. What is it you need? What is it you lack? ASK. I love the New Living Translation on Matthew 7:7-8 7 “Keep on asking, and you will receive what you ask… Read more

  • Kingdom Focus — Treasure

    19 “Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moths and vermin destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. 20 But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moths and vermin do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal. 21 For where your treasure is, there your… Read more

  • Kingdom Come — The Freedom of Discipline

    When we walk with purpose in the spiritual disciplines, a hunger for the Kingdom is created and cultivated. We begin to see that the command to “be perfect like your heavenly Father” is a serious command and has serious resources to follow that command. We begin to truly align our allegiances with the kingdom of… Read more

  • Kingdom Freedom

    The power of the Kingdom, the offer of Jesus in the Sermon on the Mount, is found in true freedom. It is about freedom from the things that bind us up. It is about being complete in God. The Kingdom already provides that power. We need to recognize it, then walk in it. That is the rub.… Read more

  • The “Radical” We Must Be

    Life in the Kingdom is meant to be life at its fullest. Our problem is we settle for “good enough” when the Kingdom calls us to “God’s best.” The demand of the Kingdom is this: God’s perfection. We don’t understand that, so we settle for “good enough.” The moment we settle for “good enough,” we… Read more

  • The “Radical” We Avoid

    In the Sermon on the Mount, there are a couple of places (at least) where we find great hesitation, at least for us as readers. Matt. 5:17-20, where Jesus tells his hearers their righteousness needs to surpass that of the Pharisees. Then, Matt. 5:48 where the demand is “to be perfect.” This is the call… Read more

  • The Kingdom WORKS

    The more I work my way through the Sermon on the Mount, the deeper the realization that the Kingdom works. It is effective.  If I am truly in the Kingdom life, I AM salt. I AM light. I AM effective. A disciple of the kingdom who does not live like a disciple of the kingdom is worth about as… Read more

  • Race and Fear

    I’ve written very little on the matter of Trayvon Martin and George Zimmerman because it’s far too complex to button hole either person into the extremes I read about every day online. But this article had some thoughts I resonated with. This thought in particular: Fear is not a complex human emotion—it’s a primal one.… Read more