Terry Johnson stresses that the Beatitudes are Jesus' handbook to living a fuller life. This better, more contented and satisfying life is only for the people who believe in him, because, as Terry demonstrates, the Sermon on the Mount was preached to the disciples and not to the general population.
This blows a horrible hole in the theories of those who try to take this collection of Jesus' teachings as a guide to more harmonious living outside the church. God's blessings here are on his people in a special way, not on the population as a whole. To this end Terry doesn't allow for the word 'blessed' to be translated 'happy', as it trivialises some very serious points Jesus makes.
He explains the beatitudes, showing both what they don't mean, and opening up what they do. His conclusions are strong, challenging, and immensely practical.
You will be engaged in the impact of Jesus' words as you never have before.
About Terry Johnson
Terry Johnson is Senior Pastor of the Independent Presbyterian Church in Savannah, Georgia.
Pages: 176
Reviews
"He explains and applies them with a freshness that must surely fire every reader with the passion for the true godliness that is so hard to find these days, yet which is so vital to genuine Christian living."Mark G. Johnston, Grove Chapel, Camberwell
"…a challenge to Christian counter-culture on both sides of the Atlantic."
Philip H. Hacking
"…a clarion call to discipleship in depth."
J. I. Packer, Professor of Theology, Regent College, Vancouver
"Terry Johnson has done it again. Sounding a note from his previous book When Grace Comes Home, he shows us here a picture of what transforming grace looks like in the life of a believer, and he does so following Jesus' own description of his disciples in the Beatitudes. What a timely emphasis for a generation long on license and short on character."
J. Ligon Duncan III, First Presbyterian Church, Jackson, Mississippi
"A magnificent interpretation of the Beatitudes alongside that of Martyn Lloyd-Jones, Sinclair Ferguson, John Stott and James Montgomery Boice, to name only the more recent ones. My "Sermon on the Mount' note book is now crammed with Johnsonisms--pithy one-liners that get to the heart of what Jesus meant by adorning the righteousness of the kingdom of God. Those who know him as I do can 'hear' him preach these powerful and convicting sentences. This is where preaching and teaching needs to go. A marvelous book which I cannot recommend too highly."
Derek W. H. Thomas, Reformed Theological Seminary, Jackson, Mississippi
ISBN: 9781857927702
Catalogue code: N/A
Publisher: CHRISTIAN FOCUS - published 27/11/2002
Format: Paperback