TEXT: Luke 7:11-17

SUMMARY: Interrupting the funeral of a widow’s son, Jesus brings the young man back to life, restoring him to his mother.

APPLICATION: Two aspects of Christ are on display here — the greatness of his power, and the infinite depth of his compassion. Do we have that same measure of empathy, of compassion, as we confront the world around us? If we claim to represent Christ, then we claim to represent his character.

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TEXT: Matthew 8:5-13

SUMMARY: A Roman centurion displays an amazing understanding of the kind of faith that Jesus is teaching.

APPLICATION: While this story is, on the one hand, a story of one man’s faith in Christ, it is also the story of Christ’s example of loving “outside the box,” outside the bounds of normal cultural standards, all to connect this man to God, and to remind us all that God’s love (and his plan of salvation) is for all people.

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TEXT: Matthew 5-7

SUMMARY: We conclude our study of the Sermon on the Mount by reviewing the keys to membership in the kingdom of God.

APPLICATION: The Sermon on the Mount laid the groundwork for all that Christ would represent, teach and live out by example. It is no less foundational today, and the key to how the church needs to represent him to the world in which we live. If we claim the kingdom of heaven, this is what our churches and our lives must look like.

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TEXT: Mark 5:21-34

SUMMARY: Jesus Christ winds up the Sermon on the Mount with the point that there is only way to come to God.

APPLICATION: The pluralistic society in which we live proclaims that all lifestyles lead to God. Biblical Christianity points to Christ’s words to the contrary, declaring in no uncertain terms there is only one way in which to please the Father. The tragedy is found in the world’s missing what God has lovingly, freely provided in Jesus Christ.

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TEXT: Matthew 7:12

SUMMARY: The “golden rule” is a foundational principle in the kingdom of God.

APPLICATION: It is the love expressed by the “golden rule” that is one of the great distinctives of the Christian faith. It is also one of the greatest challenges of the Christian faith. For the church to impact the world, it must reflect Christ. That begins with love.

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