Virtue doesn't come naturally; it must be practiced. Like the great virtue teachers before Him, Jesus gives us a vision of the flourishing human life and practices that move us toward it. But unlike the teachers of virtue, Jesus diagnoses the problem as being far deeper than we imagined: the sinful human heart. As Pastor Glenn Packiam continues the series on the Sermon on the Mount, we see Jesus shift the focus from our heart to our habits, letting transformation arise not only from the outside in but from the inside out. Yet these practices-- of giving, praying, and fasting-- are not ways to improve ourselves or impress others. They are a way of allowing the grace of God to wash over us as the Spirit forms us for the glory of God.
