Kingdom Wisdom Part 13

The Wise Life

Today we’re coming to the conclusion of our series called Kingdom Wisdom. But we’re actually concluding something much bigger.

For most of this year, we’ve been walking through the Sermon on the Mount, Matthew chapters 5, 6, and 7. We began with Kingdom Influence. Then we moved into Kingdom Alignment. And finally, Kingdom Wisdom.

And throughout this journey, Jesus has been teaching us what life in the Kingdom of God looks like.

We’ve talked about humility. Mercy. Forgiveness. Prayer. Generosity. Trust. Relationships. Discernment. Wisdom.

And over the last several weeks, Jesus has been bringing everything together.

Two roads. Two kinds of trees. Two responses to His words. Two builders. Two foundations. Two outcomes.

Last week, we discovered something important. Jesus isn’t merely another teacher offering helpful advice. He is the King. And His words carry the authority of the One who is Life.

Now Matthew tells us how the crowds responded when Jesus finished speaking.

The crowds were amazed.

And I can understand that. Imagine sitting on that mountainside and hearing Jesus teach about life in the Kingdom of God.

But here’s something I’ve been thinking about as we come to the end of this journey.

The Sermon on the Mount was never intended to be merely admired. It was intended to be lived.

We can admire the Beatitudes. We can appreciate the Lord’s Prayer. We can agree with the Golden Rule. We can recognize the wisdom of building our lives on the rock.

But Jesus is inviting us into something much deeper than simply agreeing with His teachings.

He’s inviting us to receive His life and learn to live from that life every day.

And I think that’s one of the most important things we’ve discovered throughout this entire journey.

Life is received, not achieved.

Jesus didn’t come to give us another system of religious self-improvement. He came to give us life. And as we receive His life, we begin learning to live differently.

Not perfectly. Not without struggle. Not without failure. But increasingly shaped by His grace, His wisdom, and His Spirit.

And perhaps that’s the question we need to carry with us as we finish this journey.

What am I building my life upon?

Join Us This Weekend

We’ll bring our journey through the Sermon on the Mount to a conclusion and consider what it means to live the wise life Jesus has been teaching us about. Join us in person or online.