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Session Four: No Greater l.ove
Understanding the World in Which Jesus lived
In-Depth Personal Study Sessions
Day One I Jesus Teaches About the Ki ngdorr1 of God
The �ill!'rry Words n,f God
131
From tbe days o_/John the IJaptist until now, the lztngdom r�f bea,,en has
lJeenforcejitl�y advancing, and.forC11(ul men fay bold of it. Par all the
Propbets and the Law prophesied until.John. And if you are willing to
accept It, he is tbe litiiab who was to come. lie who has ears, let him. hear.
Matthew 11:12-15
s;�f e DijsctfV-E\ry
Battle Strategy for the Kingdom of God
As he taught his disciples and the crowds who followed him in
Galilee, Jesus often talked about the kingdom of God. In fact, we
could think of the Sermon on the Mount- one ofJesus' five great
discourses - as Jesus' "blueprint" or battle strategy for establishing
God's kingdom. It gave his followers a new covenant-- a new Torah,
which, if followed, would change the world.
Jesus was willing to become God's sacrifice in order to usher in
God's kingdom. What he required of his followers, his talmidim,
Was no less revolutionary. In order to better understand what it tncans to obey Jesus' call and live as he lived, it is helpful to consider
how the people of Jesus' world would have understood his teachings about kingdom living.
1. In Exodus 19:1 -3, 20:1 --17 we read how God gave Israel his
law--" the way to put into practice the values of his kingdom.
Compare that event on Mount Sinai to the Sermon on the
Mount, recorded in Matthew 5:1-12, where Jesus revealed
