Matthew 5

At Fairview, we are people...

Who Listen, Learn, and obey the commands of Jesus

Who guard our words with each other and about each other

Who strive to reconcile quickly

Who carry the light of Jesus to our neighbors

These, I pray, are some of our core values

Because, as I said earlier in the year, they reflect thoughts that come from Matthew 5.

I would encourage you to turn there with me

I’m currently teaching a Bible class at Pathway for the juniors and seniors

The aim of the class is to give them tools to understand their Scripture as they read it.

The class is called Methods of Bible study.

We’ve spent some time looking at the Old Testament

And now, the last few class periods, we have been talking about Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John. The Gospels, as we call them

And my question to the class was, “why are these books called the Gospels?”

If I would ask you, what would you say?

Engage in a discussion

What does Gospel mean?

What is the gospel, the good news?

How would you explain it in just a few words?

Well, Jesus explained the Gospel in just a few words

Keep your thumb in Matt. 5 and turn to Mark 1:15 “15 and saying, “The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand; repent and believe in the gospel.””

From this verse, what would be the Gospel according to Jesus?

The Kingdom of God is at hand!

Why is this good news?

“The Kingdom” is good news because the Jews are currently under the thumb of Rome

Just the latest in a line of foreign powers

Before Rome, the Greeks

Before the Greeks, the Persians

Before the Persians, the Babylonians

“Of God” is GREAT news because God has been silent for over 400 years!

And now, can it be that God is stepping out of His silence and is about to reveal Himself again?

THIS SOUNDS LIKE FANTASTIC NEWS!

And what did He say should be our response to this announcement?

Repent and believe!

What does it mean to repent?

It means to reverse course, to think differently

Which implies to his listeners and to us that in order to accept or believe in the Kingdom of God, we need to have a complete reversal. A reversal of

Mindset, thought, action, belief

This Kingdom is going to be something completely different than what His listeners and experienced before, and

And it’s certainly going to be different from the kingdom they expected the Messiah to set up!

Matthew records Jesus giving the same message. in 4:17, we read,

English Standard Version (Chapter 4)

17 From that time Jesus began to preach, saying, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.”

Again, it’s time to reverse course and begin to think and act differently because the Kingdom of Heaven is here and the Kingdom of Heaven requires something different from its people!

And that is where chapter 5 comes in

And the more that I read Matthew 5, the more I love what I read there because,

You know, it’s easy for us, who have heard this teaching all of our lives to just kind of skim through it, and think, “yeah, I’ve heard all of this before”

But I’ve just been struck in a new way how radical this teaching must have seemed to Jesus listeners

And I’ve encouraged my students, to try, as much as possible, when they read Scripture, to shed as much as possible what they think they know about a passage

And try to read it with fresh eyes, open hearts, and a hunger for the Holy Spirit to reveal more to us about who Jesus is!

English Standard Version (Chapter 5)

The Sermon on the Mount

5 Seeing the crowds, he went up on the mountain, and when he sat down, his disciples came to him.

And the first thing that Jesus teaches his disciples is about the kind of people who live in the Kingdom

Their character

Their priorities

Their values

Really, it’s about their hearts

The Beatitudes

2 And he opened his mouth and taught them, saying:

3 “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

4 “Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted.

5 “Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth.

6 “Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be satisfied.

7 “Blessed are the merciful, for they shall receive mercy.

8 “Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God.

9 “Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God.

10 “Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness’ sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

11 “Blessed are you when others revile you and persecute you and utter all kinds of evil against you falsely on my account. 12 Rejoice and be glad, for your reward is great in heaven, for so they persecuted the prophets who were before you.

Salt and Light

13 “You are the salt of the earth, but if salt has lost its taste, how shall its saltiness be restored? It is no longer good for anything except to be thrown out and trampled under people’s feet.

14 “You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden. 15 Nor do people light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a stand, and it gives light to all in the house. 16 In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven.

So, people of the Kingdom, how are your hearts?

Do your lives display the Kingdom of God?

And then Jesus teaches his disciples about how the people of His kingdom view the law

But again, He teaches them about their hearts.

Christ Came to Fulfill the Law

17 “Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them. 18 For truly, I say to you, until heaven and earth pass away, not an iota, not a dot, will pass from the Law until all is accomplished. 19 Therefore whoever relaxes one of the least of these commandments and teaches others to do the same will be called least in the kingdom of heaven, but whoever does them and teaches them will be called great in the kingdom of heaven. 20 For I tell you, unless your righteousness exceeds that of the scribes and Pharisees, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven.

Anger

21 “You have heard that it was said to those of old, ‘You shall not murder; and whoever murders will be liable to judgment.’ 22 But I say to you that everyone who is angry with his brother will be liable to judgment; whoever insults his brother will be liable to the council; and whoever says, ‘You fool!’ will be liable to the hell of fire. 23 So if you are offering your gift at the altar and there remember that your brother has something against you, 24 leave your gift there before the altar and go. First be reconciled to your brother, and then come and offer your gift. 25 Come to terms quickly with your accuser while you are going with him to court, lest your accuser hand you over to the judge, and the judge to the guard, and you be put in prison. 26 Truly, I say to you, you will never get out until you have paid the last penny.

So, people of the Kingdom, how are your hearts

How are your relationships?

Lust

27 “You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall not commit adultery.’ 28 But I say to you that everyone who looks at a woman with lustful intent has already committed adultery with her in his heart. 29 If your right eye causes you to sin, tear it out and throw it away. For it is better that you lose one of your members than that your whole body be thrown into hell. 30 And if your right hand causes you to sin, cut it off and throw it away. For it is better that you lose one of your members than that your whole body go into hell.

So, people of the Kingdom, how are your hearts?

What is in your heart? What do you think about?

Divorce

31 “It was also said, ‘Whoever divorces his wife, let him give her a certificate of divorce.’ 32 But I say to you that everyone who divorces his wife, except on the ground of sexual immorality, makes her commit adultery, and whoever marries a divorced woman commits adultery.

So, people of the Kingdom, how are your hearts?

What are your marriage relationships like? Men, do you cherish your wives? Ladies, do you respect your husbands?

Oaths

33 “Again you have heard that it was said to those of old, ‘You shall not swear falsely, but shall perform to the Lord what you have sworn.’ 34 But I say to you, Do not take an oath at all, either by heaven, for it is the throne of God, 35 or by the earth, for it is his footstool, or by Jerusalem, for it is the city of the great King. 36 And do not take an oath by your head, for you cannot make one hair white or black. 37 Let what you say be simply ‘Yes’ or ‘No’; anything more than this comes from evil.

So, people of the Kingdom, how are your hearts?

Do people know that you will keep your word? Do they trust you?

Retaliation

38 “You have heard that it was said, ‘An eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth.’ 39 But I say to you, Do not resist the one who is evil. But if anyone slaps you on the right cheek, turn to him the other also. 40 And if anyone would sue you and take your tunic, let him have your cloak as well. 41 And if anyone forces you to go one mile, go with him two miles. 42 Give to the one who begs from you, and do not refuse the one who would borrow from you.

So, people of the Kingdom, how are your hearts?

Is there someone that you wish you could just get back at? Is there someone that you keep at arms length because of what they did to you?

Love Your Enemies

43 “You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’ 44 But I say to you, Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, 45 so that you may be sons of your Father who is in heaven. For he makes his sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the just and on the unjust. 46 For if you love those who love you, what reward do you have? Do not even the tax collectors do the same? 47 And if you greet only your brothers, what more are you doing than others? Do not even the Gentiles do the same? 48 You therefore must be perfect, as your heavenly Father is perfect.

So, people of the Kingdom, how are your hearts?

Do you truly love your enemies?

Do you pray for those who have treated you wrongly?

Jesus goes on to teach His disciples about

How you give

How you pray

About how you fast

About where your treasure is

About trust

About passing judgment on others

And in all these things, He is dealing with the condition of the heart behind these actions

All of these things matter in the Kingdom of God

And then He drives the point home with these convicting verses

Matthew 7:21–29 “21 “Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. 22 On that day many will say to me, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and cast out demons in your name, and do many mighty works in your name?’ 23 And then will I declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from me, you workers of lawlessness.’

24 “Everyone then who hears these words of mine and does them will be like a wise man who built his house on the rock. 25 And the rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house, but it did not fall, because it had been founded on the rock. 26 And everyone who hears these words of mine and does not do them will be like a foolish man who built his house on the sand. 27 And the rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and beat against that house, and it fell, and great was the fall of it.”

28 And when Jesus finished these sayings, the crowds were astonished at his teaching, 29 for he was teaching them as one who had authority, and not as the scribes.

Are you living each day in the Kingdom?

Is this good news to you?

Is Jesus reigning in your heart and life and is He transforming your heart?