 When Jesus began to preach, He told people to repent because the kingdom of God had come near. Then one day, with large crowds following Him, He went up on a mountainside and preached the Sermon on the Mount (Matthew 4:17, 4:23-5:2).
Christ announced God’s kingdom before He began teaching the Sermon. God’s kingdom is a major theme in the New Testament: He sent His disciples to proclaim the kingdom of God (Luke 9:2); He taught them to seek God’s kingdom first (Matthew 6:33); and in the very last verse in Acts, Paul proclaimed the kingdom of God (Acts 28:31). What is one major characteristic of God’s kingdom? The word kingdom typically refers to a place where a king rules and where his word is law. In God’s kingdom, things happen according to His will. The citizens of God’s kingdom follow Him (Matthew 7:21). The Sermon on the Mount describes some behaviors of those in the kingdom of God. We see examples of such behaviors in Christ on earth, following the will of the Father. Where is the kingdom of God? In the Sermon on the Mount, Christ did not teach us to pray that we go to heaven. Instead, He taught us to pray for God’s kingdom to come down to earth, such as God’s kingdom come, God’s will be done, on earth as it is in heaven (Matthew 6:9-10). In the final glorious day, God’s kingdom will be on earth, and everything will be perfectly aligned to His will. But not now. Christ invited us to follow Him and heed His teachings in the Sermon on the Mount. Each time we do that, or we get closer to doing that, we will experience and show glimpses of the kingdom of God. Summarized from a John Ortberg’s sermon from a set of sermons at: https://www.crosspreach.com/sermons/listall/25/page:9 登山宝训的基础 耶稣开始讲道时告诉人要悔改，因为上帝的国已经临近。 有一天许多的群众跟随祂，祂就登上了山，宣讲登山宝训 （马太福音4：17, 4:23-5:2）。 耶稣在教导登山宝训前宣告上帝的国近了。 上帝的国是新约圣经的一个主要主题。基督差派门徒宣告上帝的国 （ 路加福音9：2）； 祂教导门徒首先寻求上帝的国（马太福音6:33）； 使徒行传的最后一节经文讲述的就是保罗宣告上帝的国 （使徒行传28:31）。 上帝的国意味着什么？ “国”这个词指的是国王统治的地方，在那里他的话就是法律，所有的公民都要服从。 在上帝的国里一切都按照上帝的旨意而发生。上帝之国的公民跟随上帝 （马太福音7:21）。 登山宝训描述了神国里公民的一些行为。基督在地上跟随天父旨意的生活, 正是这些行为的最佳典范。 神的国在哪里？ 基督在登山宝训里没有教导祷告去天国。相反地，祂教导祷告神的国降临到地上，“愿您的国降临，愿您的旨意行在地上如同行在天上 （马太福音6：9-10）。” 在最后荣耀的那日神的国将降临到地上，一切都会完全地遵循上帝的旨意。但现在时候还未到来。 基督邀请我们跟随祂, 并将登山宝训的教导铭记在心。每当我们如此行或接近如此行时都会经历和瞥见神的国。
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