Sermon on the Mount

The Sea of Galilee and the Mt. of Beatitudes (the small hill at center
right, just to the right of the area with the tall green trees by the water).

I think you would agree with me that the world is a mess right now.  I ran across the statistic this week that there are conflicts going on in all the countries of the world except eleven!  That’s terrible.   And some of these are truly horrific, like what is happening in Iraq and Syria with ISIS (or IS).  How does Jesus want us to respond to times like these? 

Gentile Christians and Israel

I’m sure you’ve noticed in this recent conflict between Israel and Hamas how polarizing the nation of Israel is.  People are either strongly for Israel or against it.  For few other conflicts in the world do you get such large demonstrations everywhere as there were recently.  Why is this?  Why does Israel make people so upset?  And of course the Muslim world is constantly angry at Israel, and constantly plotting its destruction.  Why is this? 

Abraham and the Three Men

A Bedouin Tent in Israel

Why do Christians believe that Jesus is God?  Is it because he healed people?  Other great men of Israel also healed people.  Is it because he raised Lazarus from the dead?  The bones of Elijah also raised a man from the dead.  Is it because he ascended into heaven?  Enoch and Elijah were also taken up by God into heaven.  What makes Jesus different than all these others?