111: A Call to the Life of the Kingdom

Mark D. Hampton

• Publisher: Resource Publications
• Year: 2022
• ISBN:
  9781666747089
• Topic: Theology & Religion
• Subtopic: Christian Ministry

The Sermon on the Mount contains some of Jesus's most powerful and penetrating words in the Gospels. The words Jesus spoke within the Sermon confront us in numerous ways and challenge the status quo we often settle for in our faith. Jesus leaves no stone unturned, challenging all who claim to follow him to evaluate what it means to live in faithful obedience. As you read, you will find yourself challenged and encouraged to live as a citizen of Christ's kingdom.Each page within this book is an invitation for you to dive deeply into the message of the Sermon and allow yourself to be confronted by Jesus's words. Moving through the devotional, you will explore each verse individually, allowing time to dwell on the depth each verse deserves. However, you will explore each verse as it relates to the broader themes and movements of the entire Sermon, providing a comprehensive picture as well. As you go through this devotional, may you be challenged and encouraged by the words of Christ, creating in you a desire to heed Christ's invitation to follow him.

Table of contents

• Title Page
• About the Sermon
• How to Use this Devotional
• An Invitation
• Day 1: Seeing the crowds, he went up on the mountain, and when he sat down, his disciples came to him. (Matt 5:1)
• Day 2: And he opened his mouth and taught them, saying . . . (5:2)
• Day 3: “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.” (5:3)
• Day 4: “Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted.” (5:4)
• Day 5: “Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth.” (5:5)
• Day 6: “Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be satisfied.” (5:6)
• Day 7: “Blessed are the merciful, for they shall receive mercy.” (5:7)
• Day 8: “Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God.” (5:8)
• Day 9: “Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God.” (5:9)
• Day 10: “Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness' sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.” (5:10)
• Day 11: “Blessed are you when others revile you and persecute you and utter all kinds of evil against you falsely on my account.” (5:11)
• Day 12: “Rejoice and be glad, for your reward is great in heaven, for so they persecuted the prophets who were before you.” (5:12)
• Day 13: “You are the salt of the earth, but if salt has lost its taste, how shall its saltiness be restored? It is no longer good for anything except to be thrown out and trampled under people's feet.” (5:13)
• Day 14: “You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden.” (5:14)
• Day 15: “Nor do people light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a stand, and it gives light to all in the house.” (5:15)
• Day 16: “In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven.” (5:16)
• Day 17: “Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them.” (5:17)
• Day 18: “For truly, I say to you, until heaven and earth pass away, not an iota, not a dot, will pass from the Law until all is accomplished.” (5:18)
• Day 19: “Therefore whoever relaxes one of the least of these commandments and teaches others to do the same will be called least in the kingdom of heaven, but whoever does them and teaches them will be called great in the kingdom of heaven.” (5:19)
• Day 20: “For I tell you, unless your righteousness exceeds that of the scribes and Pharisees, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven.” (5:20)
• Day 21: “You have heard that it was said to those of old, ‘You shall not murder; and whoever murders will be liable to judgment.’” (5:21)
• Day 22: “But I say to you that everyone who is angry with his brother will be liable to judgment; whoever insults his brother will be liable to the council; and whoever says, ‘You fool!’ will be liable to the hell of fire.” (5:22)
• Day 23: “So if you are offering your gift at the altar and there remember that your brother has something against you . . .” (5:23)
• Day 24: “. . . leave your gift there before the altar and go. First be reconciled to your brother, and then come and offer your gift.” (5:24)
• Day 25: “Come to terms quickly with your accuser while you are going with him to court, lest your accuser hand you over to the judge, and the judge to the guard, and you be put in prison.” (5:25)
• Day 26: “Truly, I say to you, you will never get out until you have paid the last penny.” (5:26)
• Day 27: “You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall not commit adultery.’” (5:27)
• Day 28: “But I say to you that everyone who looks at a woman with lustful intent has already committed adultery with her in his heart.” (5:28)
• Day 29: “If your right eye causes you to sin, tear it out and throw it away. For it is better that you lose one of your members than that your whole body be thrown into hell.” (5:29)
• Day 30: “And if your right hand causes you to sin, cut it off and throw it away. For it is better that you lose one of your members than that your whole body go into hell.” (5:30)
• Day 31: “It was also said, ‘Whoever divorces his wife, let him give her a certificate of divorce.’” (5:31)
• Day 32: “But I say to you that everyone who divorces his wife, except on the ground of sexual immorality, makes her commit adultery, and whoever marries a divorced woman commits adultery.” (5:32)
• Day 33: “Again you have heard that it was said to those of old, ‘You shall not swear falsely, but shall perform to the Lord what you have sworn.’” (5:33)
• Day 34: “But I say to you, Do not take an oath at all, either by heaven, for it is the throne of God. . .” (5:34)
• Day 35: “. . .or by the earth, for it is his footstool, or by Jerusalem, for it is the city of the great King.” (5:35)
• Day 36: “And do not take an oath by your head, for you cannot make one hair white or black.” (5:36)
• Day 37: “Let what you say be simply ‘Yes’ or ‘No’; anything more than this comes from evil.” (5:37)
• Day 38: “You have heard that it was said, ‘An eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth.’” (5:38)
• Day 39: “But I say to you, Do not resist the one who is evil. But if anyone slaps you on the right cheek, turn to him the other also.” (5:39)
• Day 40: “And if anyone would sue you and take your tunic, let him have your cloak as well.” (5:40)
• Day 41: “And if anyone forces you to go one mile, go with him two miles.” (5:41)
• Day 42: “Give to the one who begs from you, and do not refuse the one who would borrow from you.” (5:42)
• Day 43: “You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’” (5:43)
• Day 44: “But I say to you, Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you. . .” (5:44)
• Day 45: “. . .so that you may be sons of your Father who is in heaven. For he makes his sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the just and on the unjust.” (5:45)
• Day 46: “For if you love those who love you, what reward do you have? Do not even the tax collectors do the same?” (5:46)
• Day 47: “And if you greet only your brothers, what more are you doing than others? Do not even the Gentiles do the same?” (5:47)
• Day 48: “You therefore must be perfect, as your heavenly Father is perfect.” (5:48)
• Day 49: “Beware of practicing your righteousness before other people in order to be seen by them, for then you will have no reward from your Father who is in heaven.” (6:1)
• Day 50: “Thus, when you give to the needy, sound no trumpet before you, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets, that they may be praised by others. Truly, I say to you, they have received their reward.” (6:2)
• Day 51: “But when you give to the needy, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing. . .” (6:3)
• Day 52: “. . .so that your giving may be in secret. And your Father who sees in secret will reward you.” (6:4)
• Day 53: “And when you pray, you must not be like the hypocrites. For they love to stand and pray in the synagogues and at the street corners, that they may be seen by others. Truly, I say to you, they have received their reward.” (6:5)
• Day 54: “But when you pray, go into your room and shut the door and pray to your Father who is in secret. And your Father who sees in secret will reward you.” (6:6)
• Day 55: “And when you pray, do not heap up empty phrases as the Gentiles do, for they think that they will be heard for their many words.” (6:7)
• Day 56: “Do not be like them, for your Father knows what you need before you ask him.” (6:8)
• Day 57: “Pray then like this: “Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name.” (6:9)
• Day 58: “Your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven.” (6:10)
• Day 59: “Give us this day our daily bread. . .” (6:11)
• Day 60: “. . .and forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors.” (6:12)
• Day 61: “And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil.” (6:13)
• Day 62: “For if you forgive others their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. . .” (6:14)
• Day 63: “. . .but if you do not forgive others their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses.” (6:15)
• Day 64: “And when you fast, do not look gloomy like the hypocrites, for they disfigure their faces that their fasting may be seen by others. Truly, I say to you, they have received their reward.” (6:16)
• Day 65: “But when you fast, anoint your head and wash your face. . .” (6:17)
• Day 66: “. . .that your fasting may not be seen by others but by your Father who is in secret. And your Father who sees in secret will reward you.” (6:18)
• Day 67: “Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal. . .” (6:19)
• Day 68: “. . .but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal.” (6:20)
• Day 69: “For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.” (6:21)
• Day 70: “The eye is the lamp of the body. So, if your eye is healthy, your whole body will be full of light. . .” (6:22)
• Day 71: “. . .but if your eye is bad, your whole body will be full of darkness. If then the light in you is darkness, how great is the darkness!” (6:23)
• Day 72: “No one can serve two masters, for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and money.” (6:24)
• Day 73: “Therefore I tell you, do not be anxious about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink, nor about your body, what you will put on. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothing?” (6:25)
• Day 74: “Look at the birds of the air: they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they?” (6:26)
• Day 75: “And which of you by being anxious can add a single hour to his span of life?” (6:27)
• Day 76: “And why are you anxious about clothing? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow: they neither toil nor spin. . .” (6:28)
• Day 77: “. . .yet I tell you, even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these.” (6:29)
• Day 78: “But if God so clothes the grass of the field, which today is alive and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, will he not much more clothe you, O you of little faith?” (6:30)
• Day 79: “Therefore do not be anxious, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’” (6:31)
• Day 80: “For the Gentiles seek after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them all.” (6:32)
• Day 81: “But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.” (6:33)
• Day 82: “Therefore do not be anxious about tomorrow, for tomorrow will be anxious for itself. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble.” (6:34)
• Day 83: “Judge not, that you be not judged.” (7:1)
• Day 84: “For with the judgment you pronounce you will be judged, and with the measure you use it will be measured to you.” (7:2)
• Day 85: “Why do you see the speck that is in your brother's eye, but do not notice the log that is in your own eye?” (7:3)
• Day 86: “Or how can you say to your brother, ‘Let me take the speck out of your eye,’ when there is the log in your own eye?” (7:4)
• Day 87: “You hypocrite, first take the log out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to take the speck out of your brother's eye.” (7:5)
• Day 88: “Do not give dogs what is holy, and do not throw your pearls before pigs, lest they trample them underfoot and turn to attack you.” (7:6)
• Day 89: “Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you.” (7:7)
• Day 90: “For everyone who asks receives, and the one who seeks finds, and to the one who knocks it will be opened.” (7:8)
• Day 91: “Or which one of you, if his son asks him for bread, will give him a stone?” (7:9)
• Day 92: “Or if he asks for a fish, will give him a serpent?” (7:10)
• Day 93: “If you then, who are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father who is in heaven give good things to those who ask him!” (7:11)
• Day 94: “So whatever you wish that others would do to you, do also to them, for this is the Law and the Prophets.” (7:12)
• Day 95: “Enter by the narrow gate. For the gate is wide and the way is easy that leads to destruction, and those who enter by it are many.” (7:13)
• Day 96: “For the gate is narrow and the way is hard that leads to life, and those who find it are few.” (7:14)
• Day 97: “Beware of false prophets, who come to you in sheep's clothing but inwardly are ravenous wolves.” (7:15)
• Day 98: “You will recognize them by their fruits. Are grapes gathered from thornbushes, or figs from thistles?” (7:16)
• Day 99: “So, every healthy tree bears good fruit, but the diseased tree bears bad fruit.” (7:17)
• Day 100: “A healthy tree cannot bear bad fruit, nor can a diseased tree bear good fruit.” (7:18)
• Day 101: “Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire.” (7:19)
• Day 102: “Thus you will recognize them by their fruits.” (7:20)
• Day 103: “Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven.” (7:21)
• Day 104: “On that day many will say to me, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and cast out demons in your name, and do many mighty works in your name?’” (7:22)
• Day 105: “And then will I declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from me, you workers of lawlessness.’” (7:23)
• Day 106: “Everyone then who hears these words of mine and does them will be like a wise man who built his house on the rock.” (7:24)
• Day 107: “And the rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house, but it did not fall, because it had been founded on the rock.” (7:25)
• Day 108: “And everyone who hears these words of mine and does not do them will be like a foolish man who built his house on the sand.” (7:26)
• Day 109: “And the rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and beat against that house, and it fell, and great was the fall of it.” (7:27)
• Day 110: “And when Jesus finished these sayings, the crowds were astonished at his teaching . . . ” (7:28)
• Day 111: “. . .for he was teaching them as one who had authority, and not as their scribes.” (7:29)
• Conclusion