Jesus' first recorded sermon in the Bible is a blueprint for being happy here on earth. And though His definition contains no prescriptions for acquiring cars, homes, or savings, it does require transformation and obedience. MacArthur examines Jesus' timeless definition of happiness, and explains that our reward for following Jesus' plan is citizenship in the kingdom of God- and an abiding joy that can never be taken away. Study guide and review included for individual or group study.

Explains how to apply seven action steps to discover individual purpose and destiny, in a guide complemented by biblical principles, devotions, and personal testimonies.

The Sermon on the Mount, one of the most influential portions of the Bible, is the most studied and commented upon portion of the Christian Scriptures. Every Christian generation turns to it for insight and guidance. In this volume, a recognized expert on the Gospels shows that the Sermon on the Mount offers a clear window into understanding God's work in Christ. Jonathan Pennington provides a historical, theological, and literary commentary on the Sermon and explains how this text offers insight into God's plan for human flourishing. As Pennington explores the literary dimensions and theological themes of this famous passage, he situates the Sermon in dialogue with the Jewish and Greek virtue traditions and the philosophical-theological question of human flourishing. He also relates the Sermon's theological themes to contemporary issues such as ethics, philosophy, and economics.

The Beatitudes are not telling you how to become a Christian—they tell you what a true Christian looks like. Everyone wants to be blessed. We want to be blessed in life, blessed in death, and blessed in eternity. In the Beatitudes, the Son of God tells us about the life that is blessed and about the people who are blessed. But Jesus does more than just describe a blessed life, He gives us a way to actually pursue it. If you want to make strides in overcoming sin, growing in godliness, abounding in good works, and enjoying intimacy with the Lord, this book is for you. And if you have lost hope that any of these things are possible, this book is especially for you. You can make progress, starting today.

Happiness. It's what we all long for, what all human beings seek in our jobs, our relationships, our activities. We try so hard to be happy, and all too often we end up empty and unsatisfied. Why? Because, says Billy Graham in this classic work, we are looking for happiness in all the wrong places. We haven't learned the secret Jesus taught in the Beatitudes – that true, lasting happiness simply isn't to be found by seeking it directly. Happiness is a by-product, a bonus that comes when we seek what is really important. And the things that will bring us the satisfaction we long for are not necessarily what the world considers meaningful. Jesus did not have to have an outward stimulus to make Him happy, Billy Graham points out. "He had learned a secret that allowed Him to live above the circumstances of life and fear of the future. He moved with calmness, certainty, and serenity through the most trying circumstances – even death! What was His secret? He gave it to us in the Beautitudes." Presented with Billy Graham's characteristic vigor and simplicity in this landmark book, it is a secret that can transform your life.

This book, which was first published in 1931, is for every person who suspects and hopes there is a better way to live responsibly and compassionately in the complex world we share. In this book, Jones challenges us to go deeper, question and ultimately discover the effect of Jesus’ principles on humanity, regardless one’s background or predisposed religious views. “I trust this book will be an unhesitating, but not a too-light, easy, ‘Yes’ to the question as to whether the Sermon on the Mount is practicable. If the reading of it brings to the reader what the writing of it has brought to the writer in these months of meditation, then we will both be repaid a hundredfold. A trusted friend said to the writer, ‘You are not a theologian; you are a divining rod. You tell us where there is water beneath—remember your function.’ In this book I have tried to remember my function. I have left to others the discussion of the critical questions involved in the accounts of the Sermon on the Mount as reported by Matthew and Luke. I have not been able to escape theological implications—who can escape them?—but I have tried to leave to the theologians the labeling of the wells and their more accurate description while I have endeavored to be true to my friend’s commission and have pointed to where in the Sermon on the Mount I think water may be found. There is water here—dig and drink!”—E. Stanley Jones, Introduction

The publication of the King James version of the Bible, translated between 1603 and 1611, coincided with an extraordinary flowering of English literature and is universally acknowledged as the greatest influence on English-language literature in history. Now, world-class literary writers introduce the book of the King James Bible in a series of beautifully designed, small-format volumes. The introducers' passionate, provocative, and personal engagements with the spirituality and the language of the text make the Bible come alive as a stunning work of literature and remind us of its overwhelming contemporary relevance.