Sermon on the Mount: Introduction

Sermon on the Mount

When Jesus saw the crowds, He went up on the mountain; and after He sat down, His disciples came to Him. He opened His mouth and began to teach them” (Matthew 5:1-2).

In the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus gave instructions for the life of a disciple. As people came to follow Him, He wanted them to be sure they understood what it meant to be His disciple. So He provided them with instructions showing the type of life they would be called to live. In His sermon, we see that the life of a disciple is:
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Can One Be a Christian Without Having Been Baptized?

BaptismThe denominational world has different opinions about baptism. Many believe it is a “work” that is in no way associated with our salvation. Some will call it “an outward sign of an inward grace” – in other words, it is a sign that one has already been saved. Some may practice baptism as an entrance into membership into a denominational body. Though there are many different ideas about baptism, the denominational world generally agrees on one point – they reject baptism as a requirement for salvation. Even though they might practice baptism (at least in some form), they would say that one could be a Christian even without water baptism.

However, the Scriptures plainly emphasize the importance of baptism and its connection with salvation:
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Are We Truly Disciples of Christ?

John 8:31

Many people claim to be disciples of Christ, but are they truly His disciples? Are we? This is a legitimate and important question. Notice what Jesus said:

So Jesus was saying to those Jews who had believed Him, ‘If you continue in My word, then you are truly disciples of Mine; and you will know the truth, and the truth will make you free’” (John 8:31-32).

When Jesus said, “then you are truly disciples of Mine,” He implied that some are not truly His disciples. So the question under consideration is vitally important: Are we truly disciples of Christ? We must be sure we can correctly answer this question for ourselves. We must also be prepared to try and help others to be able to correctly answer this question for themselves. The context of the above passage shows us what it means to be disciples of Christ.
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Christians In Name Only

Open Bible

If you listen to certain conservative political commentators, you will likely hear the term “RINO” used to describe a particular kind of politician. If you are unfamiliar with the term, it is an acronym that means “Republican In Name Only.” These individuals are often criticized for claiming to be Republicans, while often siding with the Democrats, thus giving the Republican party as a whole a bad name.

I bring up this example because there are too many who are like these RINO Republicans, but in a matter that is far more important than politics. The ones I am referring to are “Christians In Name Only.” These individuals not only jeopardize their own soul, but also have a negative impact upon the cause of Christ.
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Cannibalism & Discipleship: Which is More Difficult to Accept?

Jesus Teaching

Jesus taught the multitudes, “I am the bread of life. Your fathers ate the manna in the wilderness, and they died. This is the bread which comes down out of heaven, so that one may eat of it and not die. I am the living bread that came down out of heaven; if anyone eats of this bread, he will live forever; and the bread also which I will give for the life of the world is My flesh” (John 6:48-51).

Jesus’ words perplexed the people who were listening to Him. They wondered, “How can this man give us His flesh to eat?” (John 6:52). They were thinking in terms of eating His physical flesh and blood body. In the following verses, Jesus continued on this point: “Unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink His blood, you have no life in yourselves. He who eats My flesh and drinks My blood has eternal life… For My flesh is true food and My blood is true drink. He who eats My flesh and drinks My blood abides in Me, and I in him. …he who eats Me, he also will live because of Me” (John 6:53-57).
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The Greater Need

[This article was written by Robert A. Sochor.]

Often in sermons or classes or just in conversations between God’s people the topic of leadership in the church going into the future is discussed. Generally, leadership in such discussions refers to elders, deacons, evangelists, and teachers. Certainly there is a great need for faithful leaders in the church, and these works are noble goals to prepare oneself for. But I also believe there is an even greater need in the church than good leaders; and that is the need for good followers. Being a good follower is so important that good leaders will fail if there are not good followers. Allow me to explain. There are several scriptures that show the need for and define what good followers are.

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The Disciples Were Called Christians

Antioch of Syria

The book of Acts records the establishment of the church and the spread of the gospel from Jerusalem to Rome. The church in Jerusalem thrived until persecution arose and caused the disciples to be scattered (Acts 8:1-4). Some of those who were scattered found their way to Antioch (Acts 11:19). Up to that point, the disciples who were scattered had only taught fellow Jews about the gospel; but in Antioch, some of them “began speaking to the Greeks also, preaching the Lord Jesus” (Acts 11:20). This preaching resulted in many being taught and turning to the Lord (Acts 11:21-26). It is here in Antioch – where we find the first congregation made up of both Jews and Gentiles – that “the disciples were first called Christians” (Acts 11:26).

What does it mean that they were “called Christians”? Where did this name originate? There are two possibilities. One idea is that the term Christian was a derogatory label used by the disciples’ enemies and was later adopted by the disciples. The other idea is that this is a divine calling and that Christian was a God-given name. I believe we can use the Bible to show that the latter is true – the name Christian was a name given to the disciples by God, not by their enemies (in fact, there is not even any mention in Acts of persecution in Antioch).
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