The GoodLion School of Discipleship is taking a long journey through Jesus’ teachings from the Sermon On The Mount. These Devotionals serve to guide young Christians in thinking and praying through how these teachings of Jesus impact our lives.
What Do You Know About the Sermon on the Mount?
The Sermon on the Mount is one of those moments where Jesus does what He does best — He disrupts everything.
He turns our understanding of the world upside down. But He’s not just offering a list of rules, or a moral code to live by. It’s something deeper, more profound. It’s the constitution of the Kingdom of God, an invitation to live in a way that reflects God’s heart.
But let’s be honest: the teachings in the Sermon on the Mount are unsettling.
“Blessed are the poor in spirit,” Jesus says. What does that even mean?
And, “Love your enemies.” Really? That one feels a bit much, doesn’t it? We’re taught to defend ourselves, to protect what’s ours, to look out for number one. But Jesus is saying something radical. Something counterintuitive.
In a world that glorifies strength and self-sufficiency, Jesus blesses the weak, the humble, the overlooked. He doesn’t call us to an easy life, but a meaningful one.
It’s not about perfection. It’s about transformation. The Sermon on the Mount isn’t meant to crush us under the weight of unreachable standards — it’s meant to invite us into a new way of being human, a way of reflecting the love, mercy, and grace of our King.
This is Jesus saying: If you want to follow Me, this is what it looks like.
It’s going to be hard, it’s going to cost you, but it’s going to be worth it.
Application:
Spend some time reading through Matthew 5–7 this week. As you do, take note of the places where Jesus’ words make you feel uncomfortable or challenged. Those are likely the places where transformation needs to happen.
Ask the Holy Spirit to guide you through the text, and consider how you can live out these teachings in your own life.
Prayer:
Jesus, Your words challenge me. They feel hard at times. But I trust You, and I believe that Your way is better. Teach me what it means to live in Your Kingdom today. Amen.
SOTM Devotional 1: Beginning To Step Into The Sermon On The Mount was originally published in GoodLion Theology on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.
