Sermon on the Mount: The Jesus Manifesto

Manifesto: "a written statement declaring publicly the intentions, motives, or views of its issuer." The Sermon on the Mount (Matthew 5-7) is Jesus' most definitive statement of the principles of Kingdom living. In this study we'll seek to understand Jesus' radical teaching within its context of first century Judaism - then translate the principles into our own lives today. If we can understand what Jesus meant and absorb that into our spirit, we can grow to become the kind of disciples that make Him proud. The Sermon on the Mount provides an ethical and philosophical framework that can help us order our lives as Christ followers. But organized religion has domesticated Jesus and watered down his message, providing a low-dose familiarity that can make us immune to Jesus' full-strength teaching. Here we allow Jesus' uncompromising message to both shame us and enflame us to become part of a Christ-committed counter-culture to challenge the present world order. This examination of Jesus' manifesto in the Sermon on the Mount, with its provocative discussion questions, provides an excellent 13-lesson study for personal enrichment, for use by small groups and classes, and for sermon preparation by teachers and preachers.