A King and His Kingdom

Over most of 2025, we have walked together through one of the richest sections of Scripture; our Lord’s Sermon on the Mount (Matthew 5–7). What an incredible display of grace and truth it has been! From the opening words of blessing in the Beatitudes to the closing call to build our lives upon the solid rock of Christ, Jesus has been showing us what life in His kingdom looks like. A kingdom of those marked by their King.

We have seen that the Christian life is not about external religion or empty performance, but about the new life in Christ. He has called us to be salt and light in a dark world, to love even our enemies, to pray as children to our Father, to seek His kingdom above all else, and to walk in the narrow way that leads to life. These are not burdens laid upon us to weigh us down, but invitations to live in the freedom and joy of our Lord’s glory and grace.

At times, the Sermon on the Mount may have left us feeling undone; who among us has perfectly loved, prayed, or forgiven as Jesus commands? But this is where the gospel light shines the brightest. The Sermon is not a ladder we climb to reach heaven, but a mirror showing our need for Christ, who fulfilled every word of it for us. By His life, death, and resurrection, He gives us both pardon for our failures and power by His Spirit to walk in newness of life.

As we now step beyond this text in Matthew, let us not merely be hearers but doers of the Word. Let us remember that the Rock we build on is not our own obedience but Christ Himself. And as His Spirit works in us, may our lives reflect the kingdom He has described; marked by mercy, purity, peace, humility, and steadfast trust in our Father.

Take heart, dear friends: the One who preached this sermon also walks with us day by day. He has promised, “I am with you always.” May His presence strengthen us to live out the kingdom life in the week ahead.

In Christ,

Pastor Kris