Our Father Who Sees

Matthew 6:1-18

Avoiding hypocrisy, we seek practice righteousness for the sake of our heavenly Father.

“The self is becoming increasingly externally manufactured rather than internally developed. On Twitter or Facebook you’re trying to express something real about who you are, but because you’re also creating something for others’ consumption, you find yourself imagining and playing to your audience more and more. So those moments in which you’re supposed to be showing your true self become a performance. Your psychology becomes a performance.” ~ Sherry Turkle

RESOURCES: RESOURCES: ESV Study Bible; The Sermon on the Mount and Human Flourishing: A Theological Commentary by Jonathan Pennington; The Message of the Sermon on the Mount by John Stott; The Sermon on the Mount: Restoring Christ's Message to the Modern Church by Charles Quarles; The Sermon on the Mount: Kingdom Life in a Fallen World by Sinclair Ferguson; Alone Together by Sherry Turkle

Whole-Person Righteousness, Revenge, & Loving Your Enemies

Matthew 5:38-48

As a people pursuing whole person righteousness, we seek to forsake revenge and love our enemies.

“The Christian must treat his enemy as a brother, and requite his hostility with love. His behavior must be determined not by the way others treat him, but by the treatment he himself receives from Jesus; it has only one source, and that is the will of Jesus.” ~ Dietrich Bonhoeffer

RESOURCES: ESV Study Bible; The Sermon on the Mount and Human Flourishing: A Theological Commentary by Jonathan Pennington; The Message of the Sermon on the Mount by John Stott; The Sermon on the Mount: Restoring Christ's Message to the Modern Church by Charles Quarles; The Sermon on the Mount: Kingdom Life in a Fallen World by Sinclair Ferguson

Whole-Person Righteousness & The Truth

Matthew 5:33-37

As a people pursuing whole-person righteousness, we tell the truth.

“In this age, telling the truth is tough business and not for the fainthearted.” ~ Al Mohler

RESOURCES: ESV Study Bible; The Sermon on the Mount and Human Flourishing: A Theological Commentary by Jonathan Pennington; The Message of the Sermon on the Mount by John Stott; The Sermon on the Mount: Restoring Christ's Message to the Modern Church by Charles Quarles; The Sermon on the Mount: Kingdom Life in a Fallen World by Sinclair Ferguson

Whole-Person Righteousness & Adultery

Matthew 5:27-30

As people pursuing whole-person righteousness, we seek to rid ourselves of all lustful intentions and desires, and to fight against sexual immorality in our lives.

“Jesus is a teacher who doesn’t just inform our intellect but forms our very loves. He isn’t content to simply deposit new ideas into your mind; he is after nothing less than your wants, your loves, your longings.” -James K.A. Smith

RESOURCES: ESV Study Bible; The Sermon on the Mount and Human Flourishing: A Theological Commentary by Jonathan Pennington; The Sermon on the Mount: Restoring Christ’s Message to the Modern Church by Charles Quarles; Love, Lust, and Liberation (Sermon) by Tim Keller

Whole-Person Righteousness and Murder

Matthew 5:21-26

As people pursuing whole-person righteousness, we seek to rid ourselves of all murderous thoughts, intentions, and speech, and to live peaceably with all.

“To have a ‘righteousness that exceeds that of the scribes and pharisees,’ disciples must face the issue of the inner person. Not committing the physical act of murder is good and right, of course, but it is not the true litmus test of piety and alignment with God’s nature, will, and coming kingdom; examining one’s attitudes and speech are just as important as refraining from homicidal violence.” ~ Jonathan Pennington

RESOURCES: ESV Study Bible; The Sermon on the Mount and Human Flourishing: A Theological Commentary by Jonathan Pennington

Whole-Person Righteousness

Matthew 5:17-20

Jesus came to transform us into people of whole-person righteousness.

"Christian righteousness far surpasses pharisaic righteousness in kind rather than degree. It is not so much, shall we say, that Christians succeed in keeping some 240 commandments when the best Pharisees may only have scored 230. No. Christian righteousness is greater than pharisaic righteousness because it is deeper, being a righteousness of the heart." ~ John Stott

RESOURCES: ESV Study Bible; The Sermon on the Mount and Human Flourishing: A Theological Commentary by Jonathan Pennington; The Message of the Sermon on the Mount by John Stott; The Whole in Our Holiness (sermon) by Ligon Duncan

Salt and Light

Matthew 5:13-16

We are God’s kingdom people in Christ, representing him for all the world to see.

"The images of salt and light, complete with their warnings and exhortations, are like a pushing of the young birds out of the nest to fly." ~ Jonathan Pennington

RESOURCES: ESV Study Bible; The Sermon on the Mount and Human Flourishing: A Theological Commentary by Jonathan Pennington; The Cost of Discipleship by Dietrich Bonhoeffer;

Flourishing: The Persecuted

Matthew 5:10-12

Flourishing are the ones persecuted on account of righteousness because the kingdom of heaven is theirs.

RESOURCES: ESV Study Bible; The Sermon on the Mount and Human Flourishing: A Theological Commentary by Jonathan Pennington; The Sermon on the Mount: Restoring Christ’s Message to the Modern Church by Charles Quarles; The Message of the Sermon on the Mount by John R. W. Stott

Flourishing: The Pure in Heart

Matthew 5:8

“Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God.”

Flourishing: The Merciful

Matthew 5:7

“Blessed are the merciful, for they shall receive mercy.”

RESOURCES: ESV Study Bible; The Sermon on the Mount and Human Flourishing: A Theological Commentary by Jonathan Pennington; The Sermon on the Mount: Restoring Christ’s Message to the Modern Church by Charles Quarles; A Harmony of the Gospels by John Calvin