Teachings

By David Maas
{SERMON ON THE MOUNT}

[Click on the title below to open an article]

  1. The Great Lawgiver - {PDF Copy} - (Matthew portrays Jesus as the Greater Moses, the True Lawgiver who brings the “Law and the Prophets” to their intended fulfillment)
  2. Fulfillment - Law and Prophets - {PDF Copy} - (In Jesus, “all the promises of God are Yea and Amen,” and the “Law and Prophets” find their fulfillment)
  3. Mercy is NOT Optional - {PDF Copy} - (Matthew 5:43-48 - Acts of mercy and love are the defining characteristics of the true disciple and of the nature of God)
  4. Persecution, Suffering, Discipleship - {PDF Copy} - (The disciple of Jesus is granted the great privilege of enduring insults, hatred, and even violence on his behalf)
  5. His Absolute Authority - {PDF Copy} - (At the conclusion of his Sermon on the Mount, Jesus vested his words with ABSOLUTE AUTHORITY – Matthew 7:21-28)

{KINGDOM OF GOD}
  1. Good News for All Nations - {PDF Copy} - (The Gospel of the Kingdom of God is a message of hope for men and women of every nation)
  2. The Light of the World - {PDF Copy} - (Contrary to the claims of many voices, Jesus is the only true “light of the world”)
  3. The Kingdom of God - {PDF Copy} - (The political order envisioned by Jesus is the “Kingdom of God,” and it bears little resemblance to the political systems of this age)
  4. Mission of the Church - {PDF Copy} - (The mission of the church between now and the return of Jesus is to announce the Good News of his Kingdom to all nations)
  5. Parable of the Sower - {PDF Copy} - (Mark 4:1-20 - The parable pictures the Son of Man as he sows the “seed” of the gospel that spreads unseen until the harvest)
  6. Kingdom Parables - {PDF Copy} - (Mark 4:21-34 - Jesus taught several parables about the kingdom of God, its unexpected ways of expansion, and its status in the world)
  7. The Unpardonable Sin - {PDF Copy} - (A line is crossed when what God’s Spirit is doing in Jesus is attributed to Satan)
  8. Jesus and Added Tradition - {PDF Copy} - (Mark 7:1-23 - With the arrival of the Son of Man, old regulations and rituals begin to lose their relevance)
  9. Days of Noah - {PDF Copy} - (Normalcy or Chaos? Disciples must be prepared at all times for the sudden arrival of the "Son of Man")
  10. Whosoever will follow me - {PDF Copy} - (Jesus was the promised Messiah, but he fulfilled that role as the Suffering Servant on his way to die in Jerusalem)
  11. Greatness in His Kingdom - {PDF Copy} - (His disciples are called to live lives of self-sacrificial service to others, just as Jesus gave his life a ransom for many)
  12. To Follow Jesus - {PDF Copy} - (To follow Jesus means a life of self-denial and sacrificial service for others - Matthew 20:20-28)

{THE FUTURE}
  1. Fruitless Temple - {PDF Copy} - (Mark 13:28-29 - The barren fig tree symbolized the fruitlessness of the Temple)
  2. Desolate Temple - {PDF Copy} - (When he left the Temple for the last time, Jesus pronounced its coming desolation to his opponents)
  3. In the Temple - {PDF Copy} - (Mark 12:41-13:4 - Jesus gave his ‘Olivet Discourse’ after his final departure from the Temple)
  4. The Geographic Scope of the Discourse - {PDF Copy} - (The ‘Olivet Discourse’ presents two key events linked to different geographic contexts – Regional and Global)
  5. Deceivers and Rumors - {PDF Copy} - (The Olivet Discourse opens with warnings about deceivers who will propagate false expectations about the end)
  6. Abomination of Desolation - {PDF Copy} - (Mark 13:14-21 - When disciples saw the abomination of desolation standing where it ought not, they must flee Jerusalem)
  7. The Sign of the End - {PDF Copy} - (The end will not come until this gospel of the kingdom of God is proclaimed to all nations)
  8. Repeated Warnings - {PDF Copy} - (Three specific warnings were repeated by Jesus in his Olivet Discourse to help his disciples avoid deception)
  9. Knowing Times and Seasons - {PDF Copy} - (Jesus did not command his disciples to know and calculate the “times and seasons” of his return in glory - Acts 1:6-8)
  10. The Days of Noah - {PDF Copy} - (Just as the unprepared were destroyed by the Flood, so also, the unprepared will be overtaken with destruction when Jesus returns in glory)
  11. Coming on the Clouds - {PDF Copy} - (Mark 13:21-27 - The whole earth will witness the Son of Man arriving on the clouds to gather his elect to himself)
  12. "This Generation" - {PDF Copy} - (The generation contemporary with Jesus would see all the events leading up to the destruction of the Temple – Mark 13:30-31)

Rainier Photo by Ryan Stone on Unsplash
Mount Rainier - Photo by Ryan Stone on Unsplash

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