This week, we started a new twelve week series on the Sermon on the Mount. Dennis Allan talked through Matthew 4:23-5:12 (NIV), describing the way Jesus' sermon is an announcement of the Gospel, the good news that a new King is being enthroned and a new Kingdom is being inaugurated. Jesus' teaching isn't a set of lofty ideals to aspire to, but a specific guide to how He expects His people to live in His Kingdom. That Kingdom is comprised of people from different racial, ethnic, socioeconomic, religious, and educational backgrounds. It's a Kingdom where the lowly, overlooked, marginalized, forgotten, and persecuted are elevated to equal standing with the wealthy, powerful, and influential. The Beatitudes are Jesus' invitation to see people the way He does, and to begin making sense of what life in His Kingdom looks like.