Living for the King: 

A Journey through the Greatest Sermon Ever Preached

This year, the Northwest church of Christ’s annual theme is Living for the King: A Journey through the Greatest Sermon Ever Preached. Our purpose as New Testament Christians is to live for the King, Jesus Christ. Our King lived purposefully during His earthly ministry. Each disciple must do no less. 

Jesus journeyed throughout the region, “preaching the gospel of the kingdom” (Matt. 4:23), which sets the stage for the royal declaration in Matthew 5-7. As great multitudes followed the King, He went up on a mountain and sat down. When He opened His mouth, He preached the Sermon on the Mount. 

After the Sermon, the crowds were amazed: “And so it was, when Jesus had ended these sayings, that the people were astonished at His teaching, for He taught them as one having authority, and not as the scribes” (Matt. 7:28-29). It wasn’t simply what Jesus said that was controversial; it was how He said it and the authority with which He said it. Jesus spoke with clarity and command. The Sermon functions as the kingdom’s constitution, the solemn proclamation of the King’s will. 

This year, we will journey through the Great Sermon to see how we might better live for the King. Just as He spoke as King, with authority, certainty, and power, we can live with confidence. Disciples of the King should be emboldened to live under His authority with certainty, conviction, and reverence for His power. 

The King called us to conform to the standards of the “kingdom of heaven” and the path whereby we can be called “blessed” by God (Matt. 5:3-12). This, of course, is not about happiness, as is sometimes stated, but is with the approval of God. The King called us to live a righteous, God-focused, and God-oriented life (Matt. 5:13-20). The King called us to live in view of the danger and serious consequences of living in rebellion against the King (Matt. 5:21-32). The King called us to be true children of the Father by doing good to those around us, keeping our word, and not retaliating to wrongs done against us (Matt. 5:33-48). The King called us to remember that all our work is done by our knowing Father and not to be seen by our fellow humankind (Matt. 6:1-18). The King called us to full allegiance to our true Master and reminded us there is no room for divided loyalties (Matt. 6:19-24). The King called us not to a worry-filled life, fretting and stressing about the things of life, but to a confident life, trusting in our “Heavenly Father” (Matt. 6:25-34). The King called us to practice fair and righteous judgment when dealing with our brethren (Matt. 7:1-6). The King called us to seek the narrow way that leads to life (Matt. 7:7-14). The King called us to beware of false teachers (Matt. 7:15-20). The King warned that not everyone who claims to follow Him actually does (Matt. 7:21-23). The King called us to build our lives on the Rock (Matt. 7:24-29).

If we take His sermon to heart and make the applications, we can live for the King. Our goal this year at Northwest is to live for the King.

January — “Blessed” — 5:1-12

February — “Your righteousness” — 5:13-20

March — “In danger” — 5:21-32

April — “Do good” — 5:33-48

May — “Your Father knows” — 6:1-18

June — “No one can serve two” — 6:19-24 

July — “Do not worry” — 6:25-34

August — “Judge not” — 7:1-6

September — “He who seeks finds” — 7:7-14

October  — “Beware” — 7:15-20

November — “Not everyone” — 7:21-23

December — “Founded on the Rock” — 7:24-29