The Sermon on the Mount helps show what it means to become a “new creature in Christ” (2 Cor. 5:17). A secular illustration for this new life, which is included in this book, is found in an African story entitled “The Dirty Basket.” According to this tale, a young man became a Christian but soon learned he was still subject to strong temptations. One day this recent convert went to his grandfather to discuss his many failings. The grandfather suggested his grandson take a basket to the river and get some drinking water. The grandson looked at the basket and said it was dirty. The holes in this basket would prevent him from bringing back much water. The grandfather insisted his relative do as he had asked. The young man made six attempts to bring back water in this filthy basket and each time he failed. After returning to his grandpa and complaining about the basket, the grandfather pointed out how clean the basket had become. Also, the reeds from which the basket was made had swelled from all the water. The Sermon on the Mount helps dirty and unholy people “keep putting water in the basket” to conform more and more to the image of Christ.

Six-session small group studies to build true community within the church and among the world.Sermon on the Mount 2: In this sermon, Jesus calls his disciples to live out a love relationship with every person they meet--a relationship inspired and guided by his teaching and infused with the power of the Holy Spirit.

The publication of the King James version of the Bible, translated between 1603 and 1611, coincided with an extraordinary flowering of English literature and is universally acknowledged as the greatest influence on English-language literature in history. Now, world-class literary writers introduce the book of the King James Bible in a series of beautifully designed, small-format volumes. The introducers' passionate, provocative, and personal engagements with the spirituality and the language of the text make the Bible come alive as a stunning work of literature and remind us of its overwhelming contemporary relevance.

ST. AUGUSTINE THE LORDS SERMON ON THE MOUNT by THE VERY REVEREND JOHN J. JEPSON. Contents include: CONTENTS PAGE INTRODUCTION ........... 3 By J. Quasten TEXT ................ ii By J. . Jepson BOOK ONE ............. n BOOK Two ............. 9 2 NOTES .............. i75 By J. C. Plumpe To THE iNTRODUCmON .......... 177 To BOOK ONE ............ 179 To BOOK Two ............ 196 INDEX ST. AUGUSTINE THE LORDS SERMON ON THE MOUNT INTRODUCTION: Among the sermons of the Lord found in die New Testa ment there is none of such importance as the Sermon on the Mount, that is, the sermon which the Lord addressed to His disciples and the crowds near Capharnaum in the mountain ous region north of Lake Genesareth. 1 It is small wonder that St. Augustine should dedicate a special treatise to this sermon in order to assist those who sought an authentic in terpretation of its challenging content. The intimate relation ship between ethics and religion as it appears in this sermon had a special appeal for St. Augustine, and the importance of the leading idea, that God is our Father and we are His chil dren, prevailed upon him to analyze its contents thoroughly. He who had investigated all philosophical systems o his times in the search of truth, found here a complete rule of life, the hest philosophy of life. He wrote his work during the years 393 to 396 when he served as a priest at Hippo. It is possible that the care for the souls entrusted to him was one of the reasons why Augustine became especially interested in the Sermon on the Mount, containing as it does the solu tion of all problems of human life. Later, during the years 426 and 427, he reviewed the treatise and set down a very considerable number of criticisms and corrections in his Retractaiiones i. 19. The New Testament has two versions of the Sermon on the Mount which differ considerably from each other as regards length and extent. 2 St. Matthew offers the text in chapters 5-7, St. Luke in chapter 6, verses 20-49. Augustine 4 uses the version of St. Matthew as the basis of his treatise which comprises two books. In the first book he answers the question of the true mean ing of the Sermon on the Mount. This question has re mained an object of lively discussion up to our own times, It was asked Is it humanly possible to put the Sermon on the Mount into practice Many theological authors believed that they had found the correct answer to this question by limiting the sermon to the extent that it is meant for only a chosen few and not for the rank and file, that its demands do not represent commandments but counsels for those aiming at perfection. 3 The representatives of the eschatological school 4 find the demands of the Sermon on the Mount too radical to be meant for all times and all generations. They think that these moral obligations applied only to the early Christians, to whom, since they believed that the end of the world was impending, the worldly goods of culture and civilization meant nothing. Again, there are those 5 who are of the opinion that the moral demands in the Sermon on the Mount are purposely exaggerated to a point where they appear para doxical and senseless, in order to make man feel that he should indeed fulfill these obligations, but that he is simply unequal to the task. The result supposed is that man will thus be led to do penance and to believe and so will be saved...

A theological attempt to explore some of the ways in which perfection can be achieved.

One of the most influential teachings in Christian history is Matthew 5-7, Jesus's Sermon on the Mount. Many pastors have delved into this passage, but none has offered such a comprehensive, up-to-date, and accessible exposition. Until now. Known for his keen insight and biblical understanding, Dr. R. T. Kendall offers an in-depth, verse-by-verse, and lay-friendly exposition of this matchless sermon. In fact, he gives the most thorough and comprehensive interpretation of this passage to date. His compelling, devotional-style writing brings the words of Jesus to life, and he shows readers how to put these teachings to work in their own lives. An unforgettable book for the lay reader and pastor alike.

Too often the Sermon on the Mount has been interpreted as though it were a book itself rather than a portion of a book. Dale Allison insists on the contrary that the full meaning of these chapters in Matthew's Gospel can be seen only in relation to the broader literary context of the Gospel as a whole, with its Jewish Christian orientation. Indeed, the Sermon and the moral imperatives it contains must be understood: 1) in relation to the example provided by Jesus' words and deeds elsewhere in the Gospel; 2) with reference to the community of believers that constitutes the intended audience of Matthew's Gospel; and 3) in terms of what the Gospel says elsewhere about the end of the age. The Sermon does not present a simple set of rules, perhaps only intended for a small and select group within the Christian community, but seeks to instill a moral vision and to inspire the moral imagination of all who would follow Jesus.

No religious text has influenced the world more than has the New Testament's Sermon on the Mount, and yet this crucial text still begs to be more clearly understood. Why was it written? What unifying theme or purpose holds it all together? Should it be called a sermon? Or is it some other kind of composition? How would its earliest listeners have heard its encoded allusions and systematic program? This book offers new insights into the Sermon on the Mount by seeing it in the shadow of the all-pervasive Temple in Jerusalem, which dominated the religious landscape of the world of Jesus and his earliest disciples. Analyzing Matthew 5-7 in light of biblical and Jewish backgrounds, ritual studies, and oral performances in early Christian worship, this reading coherently integrates every line in the Sermon. It positions the Sermon as the premier Christian mystery.

Top scholars show how the church has interacted with the Sermon on the Mount throughout its history by exploring key historical interpreters such as Augustine, Dante, Wesley, and more.