You Were Dead...But God!
Because of God's work on our behalf, Christians now have the hope of redemption by grace through faith.
What words come to mind when you hear the term theology? Dry…Dreary…Doubtful…DULL? You’re not alone.
Too often we don’t realize that theology—thinking about God—is an intimate part of our everyday lives, rather than something that takes place in ivory towers crowded with bearded men crouched over dusty books. We each engage in theology because we each have a set of beliefs about God. But rather than being content with our ideas about God as they now stand, we should each have a desire to know God better than we do today. If you’ve got that desire, then you’re ready to do theology!
Let these resources point the way to a faith more deeply connected with who God actually says He is.
Because of God's work on our behalf, Christians now have the hope of redemption by grace through faith.
We struggle with the same conflict John wrote of in his first letter: the battle between truth and error, between orthodoxy and heresy.
Thinking is hard work. Perhaps that’s why so few people engage in it. Precise, perceptive thinking doesn’t come to the lazy; it only comes to those with mental determination and discipline. But in a society that thinks with its feelings, how are we to know what is right and reliable?
While it’s true that physical maturity comes with age that’s not true of spiritual growth. In fact, without intentional effort many older Christians become like a shallow pond a mile wide and an inch deep!
Our need is not to think of ways to get away from the storms of life but to learn the secret of going through them. This brings us to the last words Jesus spoke in His immortal Sermon on the Mount. As He drew His remarks to a close, He used a vivid word picture of two houses, built on opposite foundations. From this familiar illustration, we can learn the secret of an unsinkable life.
The closer Jesus drew to the conclusion of His magnificent Sermon on the Mount, the greater His intensity. By the time He got to the passage in this lesson, it was clear He was not mildly suggesting we simply resolve to try a little harder and do a little better.
The Sermon on the Mount overflows with frequently quoted statements that have become familiar mottoes. Most are better known than Ben Franklin’s wit and wisdom…and they’re certainly more penetrating!
What’s the best thing to wear while listening to the Sermon on the Mount? A pair of steel-toed boots! Could any body of truth be more convicting than Matthew 5, 6, and 7? Without concern for how folks would react or what opinions they would form, our Lord declared His penetrating message for all to hear.
As we go deeper into His Sermon on the Mount, Jesus’ words turn our attention from all the circus-like pizzazz of performance to the simplicity of prayer and fasting, two disciplines all-too-rarely done His way for His glory. Let’s seek out His counsel so we can carry out His instructions.
Nothing Jesus stated was ever more profound than His Sermon on the Mount. In the section of Scripture we’ll examine in this lesson, Jesus discussed the Christian’s relationship to the Mosaic Law. At the heart of His instruction is righteousness—the state of having sufficient grounds to stand before a holy God.