The Beatitudes
Studies in the beatitudes by various preachers at Brackenhurst Baptist Church.
Teaching that Reveals (Matthew 7:28–29)
Throughout our journey in the Sermon on the Mount, nine preachers have delivered thirty sermons totalling approximately fourteen hours of teaching. With an average of thirteen hours of preparation per sermon, this represented 390 hours of careful study and...
Be Careful Which Way You Lean (Matthew 7:24–27)
Dr. Seuss, in his environmental tale The Lorax, posed a simple yet profound question: “Which way does a tree fall?” The answer is equally simple: “A tree falls the way it leans.” This children’s story contains a powerful spiritual truth: We must be careful which way...
The King’s Servants (Matthew 7:21–23)
Most reading this will understand the importance of proper credentials and genuine authority. Just as anyone can put on an American accent or wear patriotic symbols without actually being authorised to speak for the United States government, so too can people claim to...
Spiritual Botany (Matthew 7:15–20)
Consider for a moment the skill of identifying plants and trees correctly while hiking in the wilderness. When hunger strikes and you encounter unfamiliar vegetation, the ability to distinguish between what is safe to eat and what might be harmful becomes invaluable....
The Golden Rule and the Narrow Gate (Matthew 7:12–14)
As we continue our study through the Sermon on the Mount, we come to Matthew 7 to consider the golden rule and the narrow gate. Throughout our examination of this sermon, we have seen that God’s kingdom is unlike earthly kingdoms, and therefore the children of his...
Ask, Knock, and Seek for the Good Gift (Matthew 7:7–11)
There is a story of a faithful general who served in Alexander the Great’s army. One day, this general approached Alexander asking him to fund his daughter’s wedding. Commending the general’s faithfulness, Alexander instructed him to visit the treasurer and request...
Seeing Clearly (Matthew 7:1–6)
Whenever Christians exercise discernment—saying that something is right or wrong, sin or not sin—the world quickly throws it back in our face with, “Jesus said, ‘Don’t judge,’” and they leave it there. It seems simple enough. Matthew 7:1, taken on its own, seems...
Free to Focus on What Matters Most (Matthew 6:25–34)
God’s loving provision enables us to not be overly concerned and distracted by our material needs; rather, we are free to obey Jesus’ command to seek God’s kingdom and his righteousness first and foremost.
Then I Would Have Lived the Life! (Matthew 6:19–24)
In Matthew 6:19–24, Jesus urges his readers to lay up their treasures in heaven rather than on earth. If we treasure Christ, we will have lived the life!
Hungry for the Kingdom (Matthew 6:16–18)
Fasting is not a practice that we tend to frequently include in our worship, but Jesus taught on it in the Sermon on the Mount. In these verses, we discover two categories of lessons on fasting:1. Lessons on How Not to Fast (v. 16) 2. Lessons on How to Fast ( vv....
The Lord’s Prayer (Matthew 6:9–15)
The Lord’s Prayer lies at the heart of the Sermon on the Mount. Its purpose within the broader context is to distil the prayerful desire of Jesus’ kingdom disciples. If we desire to flourish within God’s kingdom, we must rightly relate to God in prayer the way that...
Praying Like a Child of God (Matthew 6:5–8)
As we continue to study the Sermon on the Mount, we see Christ elaborate further on how genuine citizens of the kingdom do not practise their righteousness to be seen by others. In Matthew 6:5–8, Jesus addresses the critical distinction between hypocritical and...
Righteous Giving (Matthew 6:1–4)
In this passage, Jesus warns against the outward righteousness of the Pharisees and religious leaders by exposing the self-worshipping posture of their hearts. The true child of God practises these acts of worship with a pure motive for God to receive the glory. We...
Flourish Like the Father (Matthew 5:43–48)
According to Jesus, those who flourish are righteously related to the Father through his Son. They have righteousness that exceeds merely external righteousness (v. 20). That is, they truly, wholeheartedly, “whole-personally” keep the law of God (vv. 17–19). In the...
Going the Extra Mile: Love in Action (Matthew 5:38–42)
Jesus overturns the principle of “an eye for an eye,” teaching that true discipleship means turning the other cheek, giving generously, and going the extra mile—even for enemies. This challenges worldly justice, modelling God’s mercy and love. Through Christ’s example...
New Snakes with Old Tricks (Matthew 5:33–37)
As we continue our journey through the Sermon on the Mount, we find Jesus describing surpassing righteousness in terms of truth-telling. Tradition had distorted God’s truth in this regard, and Jesus points to two things to correct this distortion:1. Truth-telling...
Covenantal Faithfulness (Matthew 5:31–32)
Matthew 5:31–32 gives us Jesus’ teaching on divorce, which reminds us that the citizens of the kingdom are people of the covenant. Though we are unfaithful, as those joined to a covenant-keeping husband, we have the opportunity to display the glory of Christ as we...
What Do You Want? (Matthew 5:27–30)
In Jesus’ authoritative application of the Old Testament in the Sermon on the Mount, he unearths the truth behind the command to not commit adultery. The righteousness that God requires involves more than merely abstaining from certain behaviours, but desiring the...