The Sermon On The Fruit

We have read the Sermon on the Mount. We have read the Beatitudes, the Lord's Prayer, the Love Chapter in 1st Corinthians 13, the Fruit of the Spirit in Galatians, the Greatest Commandment in Mark 12. We pride ourselves in knowing these famous lists and these famous teachings. Yet have we put them into practice? Jesus gives his followers a clear promise in Matthew 5: "whoever practices and teaches these commands will be called great in the kingdom of heaven." That sounds great, Jesus, but I'm kinda busy...

This is not an exercise in deciding if we agree with Jesus. This is probably not an exercise in learning something entirely new. This is exercise. Do we grow stronger by simply agreeing with the idea of push-ups? Have we already done them once in the past, and so never need to waste time with simplistic push-ups in the future? Spiritual exercise is a lifestyle for the followers of Christ. Yet ultimately the 'work' is done by His Spirit, not by our performance or our strenuous effort. This is unique exercise!

Often the best exercise involves compound movements. Not just one muscle in isolation, but our whole body must work together to perform an important task - like lifting heavy weight over our head. These compound movements require strength and coordination and balance. We have to put it all together. This short book is a spiritual exercise in putting it all together. These are compound spiritual movements commanded by Jesus in the Sermon On the Mount not just to highlight where we are weak, but to bless us and to make us stronger. Together, these classic teachings combine to reveal a clearer definition of love, which in the words of Jesus, is most important.