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Read: Matthew 7:24-27
Listen: Matthew 7

Therefore everyone who hears these words of mine and puts them into practice is like a wise man who built his house on the rock. Matthew 7:24

Jesus’s popularity skyrockets. People travel for miles, bringing the sick and curious. They form a diverse audience that includes religious leaders, fishermen, tax collectors and everyday families. Some begin to believe he’s the long-awaited Messiah. Others simply hope to witness a miracle. So, as the crowd presses in, Jesus sits on a mountaintop and begins to teach. He delivers his core teaching in what is now known as the Sermon on the Mount (Matthew 5-7). His teaching cuts through religious tradition and reveals God’s heart for how people should treat one another and approach him. As Jesus concludes his sermon, he promises that all who put his words into practice will have a solid life that withstands life’s storms. He warns that ignoring his words will have disastrous consequences.

Jesus’s promise and warning are for us, too. His teachings aren’t burdensome rules to follow but an invitation into the abundant life God designed us for. Taking Jesus’s words seriously results in a life built on a strong foundation that withstands life’s inevitable storms. Over the next few weeks, we will examine various sections of Jesus’s core teaching.  We will study his challenge about anger and what it means to love our enemies. This week, we discuss our motives—why we do the things we do and for whom we do them. A solid, abundant life is on the line.

TODAY: Listen to or read the entire Sermon on the Mount, Matthew 5-7. Ask God to open your heart to Jesus’s core teaching. Note any verses that stand out to you and ask God to help you live them out this week.