The Starting Point of the Sermon on the Mount

What’s the first word or phrase that comes to mind when you hear “Sermon on the Mount”? When I come to Matthew 5-7, I always jump to one word: grace. Despite containing some of the most difficult teachings you’ll find in the entire Bible, the Sermon on the Mount inspires so much joy. Why? Because it reminds me that, with Jesus, grace always comes first.

Those who know their need for grace

The sermon opens with the Beatitudes, where Jesus describes those to whom the kingdom belongs as “ble...