SERMON ON THE MOUNT is one of the most profound messages that Jesus gave to His followers about the ways a believer should live their lives. (Matthew 5:1-2). The sermon on the mount message is still relevant today in our daily lives as a Christian. The Sermon on the Mount covers several different topics that we have listed below. If we were to summarize the Sermon in one sentence; it would be to live a life dedicated to pleasing God, free from hypocrisy, false teachings, full of love, grace, wisdom and concernment. Jesus begins to teach His disciples these things.
The Beatitudes
Blessed are the poor in spirit: (Matthew 5:3), for theirs is the Kingdom of Heaven. Those who do not have all the truth, but realize their need for Him. "Those who put their trust in Jesus." (Psalm 84:12, James 2:5, Luke 6:20).
Blessed are they that mourn: (Matthew 5:4), they shall be comforted. Those going through tough times will be comforted. (2 Corinthians 1:3) The comforter is the Holy Spirit. (John 14:16, 2 Corinthians 1:4). The more we suffer for our faith, the more Jesus comforts us in times of trouble. (2 Corinthians 1:5).
Blessed are the meek: (Matthew 5:5), for they shall be comforted. Those who humble themselves towards others. The meek will be lifted up, and the wicked brought down to the ground. (Psalm 147:6).
Blessed are they which do hunger and thirst after righteousness: (Matthew 5:6), for they shall be filled. Those who have strong desire for truth and righteousness. Not traditions of men and false teachings. "Those who are thirsting for truth." (John 4:14, 7:37).
Blessed are the merciful: (Matthew 5:7), for they shall obtain mercy. Those who are compassionate towards others. Can you feel another's needs? Can you understand where they are coming from? Show mercy towards others and when the time comes, mercy will be shown to you.
Blessed are the pure at heart: (Matthew 5:8), for they shall see God. Those who are pure in mind. Only they will you see God. Clear the mind of all junk and things against the will of God. (Romans 12:2).
Blessed are the peacemakers: (Matthew 5:9), for they shall be called children of God. Those who strive for peace and peace of mind in this troubled world. (Colossians 3:13, Psalm 133:1).
Blessed are they which are persecuted for righteousness' sake: (Matthew 5:10), for theirs is the Kingdom of Heaven. Many have been persecuted for standing for Jesus and teaching His message. Never worry about if you stand for Christ and teach the truth of His Word, He will take care of you. (1 Peter 3:13-14, revelation 2:10).
Blessed are ye, when men shall revile you, and persecute you, and shall say all manner of evil against you falsely, for my sake. (Matthew 5:11). When you teach the truth of God's Word, you will be talked about and falsely accused. People will look for every fault they can against you. The sad part is that most of this will come from your friends and family.
Let Your Light Shine
Salt of the earth and Light of the world. (Matthew 5:13-16). Your
salt is your teachings. If it looses it's flavor it is worthless.
(Dry boring teachings). The Word is alive and exciting when you
stick to the truth. "Satan uses sugar to puff up teachers, then
their pride sets in." Beware of false teachings! You as a Christian
are the light of the world (example of truth), so keep planting
seeds of truth. Let your light shine through your good works and
people will realize you have a good spirit.
Jesus came not to destroy but to fulfilled the Law. (Matthew
5:17-20). Jesus
came to fulfill the law, not to destroy the law. (Luke
16:17).
Don't let any man tell you that there is no more law of God. Only
the statutes and ordinances were done away with, but the law of God
still stands. Yes, that includes the ten commandments.
Anger and murder can lead to danger of judgment. Thou shalt not
kill, (Matthew 5:21-26). What is meant here about the word "kill,"
is "murder," or criminal homicide. This has nothing to do with self
defense or casualties of war. As for the anger part of this
teaching, it tells us not to be angry with a fellow Christian or
hold a grudge. Settle your differences and make things right with
people. (Luke 12:59).
Lust and adultery in your mind. (Matthew 5:27-30). Don't be
unfaithful to your partner. It is good to look upon God's creations,
but don't sexually lust after them. (1 John 2:16). Don't put up with
a bad member of the church, if they cause problems and start false
teachings, cast them out!
Divorce and remarriage is not the unpardonable sin. (Matthew
5:31-32). Divorce was legal for the right reasons. (Deuteronomy
24:1-4). Keep in mind that God divorced Israel. (Jeremiah 3:8).
Example: Sexual immorality is means for a divorce. (Matthew 19:9).
Oaths, let your word be your bond. (Matthew 5:33-37). Don't swear by
heaven, or in God's name, don't swear on yourself. (James 5:12).
Keep it simple; say 'yes I will, or no I won't.' Your word should be
good enough.
Eye for an eye, and tooth for a tooth. (Matthew 5:38-42). The old
"eye for an eye." Laws of retaliation. (Exodus 21:24, Leviticus
24:17-23, Deuteronomy 19:21). Turn the other cheek. If you offend
someone they may give you a slap. If that is the case, "turn the
other cheek." However, if someone comes and slaps you for no reason,
"knock them on their ass," they are the one's who deserve it. Don't
be to quick to sue someone, give them a chance to make amends.
Always be fair and go the extra mile to those who need help, or when
performing a service for others. If someone needs help or something
to borrow, do your best to assist them if possible.
Love your enemies as you love your neighbors. (Matthew 5:43-48). It
may be hard at first, but Jesus always tells us to love our enemies
as God's children. Everyone deserves a chance. If you only love
those who love you, what good is that? Anyone can do that. If you
are friendly only to people you know, how are you different from
anyone else? Even the heathen do that. Crack a smile for a stranger
once in a while, "it goes a long way."
Give to the needy, but do your good deeds in secret. (Matthew
6:1-4). Don't
do your good deeds publicly to be admired, for then you will lose
the reward from the Heavenly Father. Do your good deeds in secret
and give God the credit.
Pray to God in secret, not in public as the hypocrites do. (Matthew
6:5-12). When
you pray, don't be like the hypocrites who pretend piety by praying
publicly in front of others where everyone can see you, because that
is all the reward you will ever get, and your prayers may not be
answered. It may make you feel so holy or religious in front of
others, but that is about the extent of it. Pray alone in secret and
talk with the Heavenly Father, not a bunch of repetitions like the
heathens do. Try the Lord's Prayer.
(Matthew 6:16-18). If you
fast, do it in secret and God will reward you. No need to impress others.
Stairway to Heaven
Build your treasures in Heaven, not here on earth. (Matthew
6:19-24). Don't
let your heart or mind think your salvation depends upon your
wealth. "You can't buy your way to heaven." Your
works, good deeds or (righteous acts) if you will, are the only
things that will follow you to Heaven. (Revelation
14:13). If
your treasures are in Heaven your heart will be there too. (Isaiah
33:6).
If your treasures are in built up in the world, chances are you will
have a worldly heart. (Luke 12:34, 2
Corinthians 4:18). You
cannot serve God and money. (Luke 16:13, 1 timothy
6:9-10).
Do not worry about things, God will always provide. (Matthew
6:25-34). Don't
always worry about things! If you always worry about material things
or money, it will take you away from God. Don't miss out on
blessings by always worrying, rather trust in the Heavenly Father.
The martial artist Bruce Lee once quoted: Life is like a finger
pointing to the sky; "don't concentrate on the finger, or you will
miss out on all the heavenly glory."
Do not judge hypocritically and you will not be judged. (Matthew
7:1-6). Don't
criticize or be negative towards others all the time, then you won't
be criticized. Work on your own faults before you try solving other
peoples problems. If you are going to teach God's Word, don't cast
your pearls before swine; teach it to those who seek it. Not to
those who really don't care or reject it. (Proverbs 9:7-12).
Ask, seek, and knock; the door will open and the truth will be
revealed. (Matthew 7:7-12). Christ
is not speaking of material things here. He is speaking of God's
Word and one that is following His work. Here is the combination:
Ask for something that will further the will of God. Seek out the
wisdom and knowledge in His Word; knock and call out to Him. "He
will open the door and the truth will be revealed to you." To sum it
up Jesus moves down to the verse 12 what is know as the Law of Love.
"Do to others what you want them to do to you." (Luke 6:31). The
"law of liberty," "love your neighbor as thyself." (Galatians
5:13-14).
The narrow gate is the way to righteousness and to heaven. (Matthew
7:13-14). The
narrow gate is the way to righteousness and to heaven. The wide path
is the ways of the world, the highway to hell. (Those who always
want to take the easy way out). You have two paths, or gates to
follow. Reference: (Deuteronomy 30:14-18).
Beware of False Teachers
Beware of false prophets who teach their own doctrine and traditions
of men. (Matthew 7:15-23). A
prophet is a true man of God and teacher of the Word. Plenty of
fakes out there deceiving people teaching their own doctrine and
traditions of men. Christ warns us to stay away from these wolves in
sheep's clothing. A good teacher will bring forth good fruit, the
truth in the Word. At judgment, many will say they are of Christ;
but Jesus will say to them, I never knew you. (Luke
13:27).
The wise builder is one who builds his faith upon Jesus Christ our
rock. (Matthew7:24-27). Our faith needs to be built on a strong
foundation which is Jesus Christ. (1 Corinthians 3:10-11). The truth
of God's Word, for He is the Living Word. Don't listen to some
blowhard who teaches traditions of men and false doctrine. In the
end times, every mans works will be tested by fire. ( 1Corinthians
3:13).
When Jesus ended His sermon the people were in awe and were
astonished at His teachings. (Matthew
7:28-29). What
made the sermon on the mount so moving is that Jesus taught the
people with authority, and not as the scribes. A good teacher always
teaches with authority and truth of God's Word. "Not
someone who follows church doctrine and traditions of men." Jesus
didn't spend much time quoting others, Jesus knew and taught like it
was His own Word. Well, it was, "Jesus is the Living
Word." (John 1:1-2).
Keep the faith,
Barton