The Message of the Sermon on the Mount

by John Stott

Overview

"The followers of Jesus are to different," writes John Stott, "different from both the nominal church and the secular world, different from both the religious and the irreligious. The Sermon on the Mount is the most complete delineation anywhere in the New Testament of the Christian counter-culture. Here is a Christian value-system, ethical standard, religious devotion, attitude to money, ambition, lifestyle and network of relationships--all of which are totally at variance with those in the non-Christian world. And this Christian counter-culture is the life of the kingdom of God, a fully human life indeed but lived out under the divine rule."

In this careful exposition of Jesus' Sermon on the Mount, John R. W. Stott accurately expounds the biblical text and relates it to life today. Above all, the author says, he wants to let Christ speak this sermon again, this time to the modern world.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780877842965
Publisher:	InterVarsity Press
Publication date:	02/22/1985
Series:	The Bible Speaks Today Series
Pages:	238
Sales rank:	443,367
Product dimensions:	5.50(w) x 8.25(h) x 0.70(d)

About the Author

John R. W. Stott (1921-2011) has been known worldwide as a preacher, evangelist and communicator of Scripture. For many years he served as rector of All Souls Church in London, where he carried out an effective urban pastoral ministry. A leader among evangelicals in Britain, the United States and around the world, Stott was a principal framer of the landmark Lausanne Covenant (1974). His many books have sold millions of copies around the world and in dozens of languages.

Stott's best-known work, Basic Christianity, has sold two million copies and has been translated into more than 60 languages. Other titles include The Cross of Christ, Understanding the Bible, The Contemporary Christian, Evangelical Truth, Issues Facing Christians Today, The Incomparable Christ, Why I Am a Christian and Through the Bible Through the Year, a daily devotional. He has also written eight volumes in The Bible Speaks Today series of New Testament expositions.

Whether in the West or in the Two-Thirds World, a hallmark of Stott's ministry has been expository preaching that addresses the hearts and minds of contemporary men and women. Stott was honored by Time magazine in 2005 as one of the "100 Most Influential People in the World" and was named in the Queen's New Years Honours list as Commander of the Order of the British Empire.

In 1969, Stott founded the Langham Trust to fund scholarships for young evangelical leaders from the Majority World. He then founded the Evangelical Literature Trust, which provided books for students, pastors and theological libraries in the Majority World. These two trusts continued as independent charities until 2001, when they were joined as a single charity: the Langham Partnership. Langham's vision continues today to see churches in the Majority World equipped for mission and growing to maturity in Christ through nurturing national movements for biblical preaching, fostering the creation and distribution of evangelical literature, and enhancing evangelical theological education.

Table of Contents

General Preface
Author's preface
Chief Abbreviations
Introduction: what is this sermon? - 5:1-2
A Christian's character: the beatitiudes - 5:3-12
A Christian's influence: salt and light - 5:13-16
A Christian's righteousness: Christ, the Christian and the law - 5:17-20
A Christian's righteousness: avoiding anger and lust - 5:21-30
A Christian's righteousness: fidelity in marriage and honesty in speech - 5:31-37
A Christian's righteousness: Non-retaliation and active love - 5:38-48
A Christian's religion: not hypocritical but real - 6:1-6,16-18
A Christian's prayer: not mechanical but thoughtful - 6:7-15
A Christian's ambition: not material security but God's rule - 6:19-34
A Christian's relationships: to his brothers and his father - 7:1-12
A Christian's relationships: to false prophets - 7:13-20
A Christian's commitment: the radical choice - 7:21-27
Conclusion: who is this preacher? - 7:28,29
Study guide