The Grace of the Law
Tim Keller | October 20, 1996
Overview
What does it mean to receive Christ? What does it mean to live as a Christian? We’re going to look at the single best place where Jesus explains how to follow him: Matthew 5-7, the Sermon on the Mount.
If you go through it verse by verse, you learn a tremendous number of details about what it means to be a Christian. But when you look at it as a whole, you see some broad strokes, some grand themes. Let’s look at it as a whole.
The Sermon on the Mount tells us 1) what we are to do in the Christian life, 2) why we are to do it, and 3) how we are to achieve it.
Outline
Matthew 5:1–10, 17–20
In the Sermon on the Mount, especially the Beatitudes, Jesus shows us that He came to fulfill the Law and the Prophets, not to dismiss them. He talks about the importance of living the right way, following God’s rules, and being good in our actions and hearts. He teaches us to be the salt and light in this world—in other words, to make a positive difference and shine with God’s love. He encourages us to be respectful, kind, pure, truthful, and to help those who are less fortunate. He also shows us how to not worry, how to love even those who don’t like us, how to judge ourselves humbly, and how to experience the life-changing love of God. Jesus wants us to aim for perfect goodness and realize that He is the living example of these teachings.
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